Get ready: Next year’s total solar eclipse will be the first to cover the entire continental U.S. in 38 years

Next year year, the moon will once again pass in front of the sun. This time though, the moon will be casting its shadow across the entirety of North America, giving photographers across the United States a perfect opportunity to capture the first total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States in 38 years.

The date you need to mark down is August 21st, 2017. Sure, it’s a long time until it happens, but that only means there’s no excuse to not be prepared when the total solar eclipse happens.

As can be seen in the below video, posted to YouTube by NASA, the center of the total solar eclipse will pass directly over Salem, Oregon before continuing on through the Great Plains and eventually making its exit overhead Charleston, South Carolina.

This path means that no matter where you are in the United States, you’ll have no less than 50% coverage of the astronomical anomaly. So, get your cameras out and be prepared to capture the event.