- Total solar eclipse expected in North America
- Major cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Montreal will fall within the narrow eclipse corridor
- After this Monday, the next eclipse in North America will not be until 2044
Total solar eclipse expected in North America
Mexico, the USA and Canada are all looking forward to Monday's total solar eclipse, when millions of people will look up to the sky to see a rare sight.
This dramatic beauty occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, completely obscuring the Sun's disc and turning day into night. A ring of fire will be visible around the Moon.
Starting over the Pacific Ocean, the eclipse will move into northern Mexico, cross the USA from Texas northeastwards to Maine after midday, then over southeastern Canada before ending over the North Atlantic.
Major cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Montreal will fall within the narrow eclipse corridor
The eclipse corridor will include cities such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Montreal, with a combined population of more than 30 million people.
Eclipse chasers come from far and wide to be in the path of a total eclipse and experience what the US space agency NASA calls a "cosmic masterpiece".
"Eclipses have a special power. They make people feel a certain reverence for the beauty of our universe," NASA chief Bill Nelson told a recent press conference.
The last total solar eclipse in the US was in August 2017, in Mexico in 1991 and in Canada in 1979.
After this Monday, the next eclipse in North America will not be until 2044
However, the weather forecasts are not very good. In the US, clouds, rain, and storms are expected in many regions, with the best views expected in the northeastern states.
Scientists have also teamed up with NASA to observe, record and measure the solar eclipse using planes and balloons.
NASA said that the Pacific coast of Mexico will be the first to see the eclipse at 11.07 a.m. (8.07 p.m. GMT).
On average, it takes about 375 years for a total solar eclipse to happen again in the same place. By comparison, a total lunar eclipse, also known as a 'Blood Moon', can be seen from anywhere about every 2.5 years. On average, there are about 240 solar eclipses and a similar number of lunar eclipses per century.
Based on ELTA reports
