Christopher Columbus to Thailand's Kings: 11 Curious Stories About Eclipses

Countdowns
By Tom Metcalfe
published

Eclipse City

The town of Carbondale, Illinois, however, has hit the celestial jackpot. Not only will this year's eclipse be visible over the town on Aug. 21, 2017, but another total eclipse will happen there just under seven years later, on April 8, 2024.

(Image credit: Michael Zeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse)

Part of the charm of solar eclipses is that they are so rare. On average, a solar eclipse will be visible from a particular point on the Earth's surface only once in every 360 years.

The town of Carbondale, Illinois, however, has hit the celestial jackpot. Not only will this year's eclipse be visible over the town on Aug. 21, 2017, but another total eclipse will happen there just under seven years later, on April 8, 2024.

Tom Metcalfe
Live Science Contributor

Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.