Total Solar Eclipse 2017: Best Spots To See It In Virginia, DC (Updates)

ALEXANDRIA, VA—For the first time in nearly a century, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America, with great viewing spots right here in Virginia and DC. The once-in-a-lifetime event will take place on Monday, Aug. 21, according to NASA. This is the first time a solar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. since 1918.

On the East Coast, the eclipse will start shortly after 1 p.m. and reach totality just before 3 p.m. The best viewing area in Virginia is in the southern region, since the eclipse's path with go through the Carolinas. Northern Virginia and DC will see about 81 percent of the sun covered during the event; Richmond and Virginia Beach will see 85. Towns like Roanoke, Blacksburg and Danville have the best view in the state—about 90 percent of the sun covered.

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South Carolina and Nashville are in the path of the totality, if you want to make the trek. The total eclipse viewing corridor will stretch across 14 states, according to NASA. The first sighting in the U.S. on Aug. 21 will be in Lincoln Beach, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. PDT (12:05 p.m. EST) and will last be seen in Charleston, South Carolina, at 4:05 p.m.

If you can’t travel to a location for the viewing, you can see NASA’s live stream of the eclipse here.

Where and when to watch the total solar eclipse

While everyone in North America will be able to see at least a partial solar eclipse, proximity to the spectacle of the 70-mile wide total eclipse corridor is within driving distance. The path of the Great American Eclipse through the region will clip the mountains of North Carolina before it cuts its trajectory through the Upstate of South Carolina, Columbia, then the coast.

There are also a number of places to watch the phenomenon in Virginia and DC:

• In Washington, DC, National Air and Space Museum (600 Independence Ave SW) will have a number of activities the day of the eclipse. Visitors can use solar safe telescopes at the Observatory or pick up solar glasses. The museum also has a make-your-own pinhole eclipse viewer and will live stream the event on screens throughout the building. There will also be other sites to use telescope and glasses around the Mall. The National Archives and National Zoo have also been confirmed as sites.
• The museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly (14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy) will also have telescopes, glasses and make-your-own eclipse viewers.
• The City of Fairfax will have a viewing party at Old Town Hall (3999 University Drive Fairfax). The event runs from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. featuring family-friendly activities like stories, crafts, music, and more while the eclipse becomes visible.
• In the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, residents will gather to watch the solar eclipse at Dental Excellence (3116 Mount Vernon Avenue). The event runs 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m. RSVP for the event by Aug. 15 by calling 703-745-5496 or emailing care@dentalexcellenceva.com.
• Del Ray residents can also gather at everyone's favorite outdoor hangout. The Front Porch at Evening Star Cafe is opening at noon for a solar eclipse watching party. Guests can enjoy eclipse-themed treats like a stellar Eclipse cocktail, Bourbon Slushies and Frosé alongside Buzz Bakeshop Solar Eclipse shortbread cookies, shishito peppers with mint and feta, cherry tomatoes with sherry and basil and chili-smothered chips with chives.
• In another nearby Del Ray event you can also toast to the rare spectacle with wine tastings at Planet Wine. Throughout the day, the store will offer eclipse themed tastings including: Soliste "Lune et Soleil" Sauvignon Blanc, Orsolani "al Bacio" Erbaluce di Caluso, Ledge Los Topos "Moonsault", Mouvedre and Arizona Stronghold "Dala", Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Another Alexandria restaurant, Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza and Tap, will also be offering eclipse glasses and special food and drink offerings. See the restaurant's event page here.
• In the Greater Alexandria area, residents can watch the eclipse at the Historic Huntley Plantation (6918 Harrison Lane, Alexandria) The event will include fun experiments, storytelling, crafts and viewing of the eclipse. Admission is $8-$10. This event has a wait list.
• There's a fun event for those in the Hampton Roads area. The Virginia Living Museum (524 J Clyde Morris Blvd Newport News) will hold a viewing party at its Abbit Observatory. The observatory will be open from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30pm to see the eclipse as it unfolds. Eclipse glasses will be available free (while supplies last) to allow you to continue viewing the event even after you see it through a telescope. In case of inclement weather, the museum will attempt a live feed of the eclipse from NASA in the Abbitt Planetarium. Visitors can also see two viewings of the Eclipse 2017! program in the Abbitt Planetarium. Eclipse viewing is included with museum admission.
• In the Shenandoah National Park area, the Elkton Community Center (20593 Blue & Gold Drive Elkton) will hold a viewing party. Watch the eclipse from the grounds of the Elkton Area Community Center while enjoying food. Viewing glasses will be provided. It will also be live streamed inside.
• In the City of Falls Church, Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N Virginia Ave, Falls Church) will have glasses available to city residents for viewing the eclipse. They are available at the Youth Services Desk from Monday, July 24 to Sunday, August 6. Quantities are limited and residents must show ID to receive the glasses.

You can also use this interactive Google map to find the spot of the longest eclipse. And an interactive map with additional events throughout the U.S. is found here.

Patch will update this with more events as they're announced. Where will you be viewing the eclipse? Let us know in the comments section.

Watch this NASA video illustrating how an eclipse works:

Solar eclipse viewing tips

Looking directly at the sun is unsafe, and the only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special “eclipse glasses” with solar filters, warns NASA, which offers these tips:

• Homemade filters or sunglasses are not safe for looking at the sun. Five manufacturers have certified that their eclipse glasses and handheld solar views meet international standards, and they are Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, TSE 17 and Baader Planetarium.
• Always inspect your solar filter before use; if scratched or damaged, discard it. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter. Always supervise children using solar filters.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury. Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars or any other optical device.
• If you are within the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to glance at the remaining partial phases.
• An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole projection. For example, cross the outstretched, slightly open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other. With your back to the sun, look at your hands’ shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, showing the sun as a crescent during the partial phases of the eclipse.

Kimberly Johnson (Patch Staff) contributed to this article.

Image via NASA