While the path of totality is only 115 miles wide, people will be able to see a partial eclipse for thousands of miles in either direction.
WASHINGTON, USA — Although Washington state is not in the path of totality of the upcoming solar eclipse April 8, the moon will still cover a portion of the sun from our perspective. How much depends on where you live.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking some or all of the light cast on the earth’s surface for a brief period of time.
The center of the shadow that the moon casts on the earth’s surface (places where the sun’s light is completely blocked) can be relatively small, sometimes only 50 miles wide, according to NASA. As the moon, the sun and the earth all move, the center of the shadow will travel across the earth’s surface, creating what …