On Aug. 21, most North Americans will see at least a partial solar eclipse. But people in 12 states — in a 70-mile-wide swath from Oregon to South Carolina — will experience a total eclipse. The schedule is known with precision, but how do we know all this and when did we first know it?

Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti talks with Sky & Telescope magazine’s Kelly Beatty (@NightSkyGuyabout the science of the eclipse.

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