In less than a week, on August 21, many Nashvillians will gather with family and friends to witness Nashville’s first visible solar eclipse since 1478! A lot has changed since 1478, and one of the biggest changes that will help us document this historic day is technology, more specifically cameras.

In about two weeks, Nashville will plunge into darkness in the middle of the day when the much-awaited Great American Eclipse actually happens. It’s the first eclipse to across the entire country since 1918, and the first total solar eclipse visible in Nashville since 1478! 

A solar eclipse happens when the sun, moon, and earth all line up, with the moon in the middle blocking some or all of the sun’s light from reaching certain places on earth. Essentially, wherever the moon’s shadow falls on earth, that location will experience a total eclipse. Two special astronomical conditions must be met for a total eclipse to occur.

In a little less than a month, Nashville will plunge into darkness in the middle of the day as a total solar eclipse sweeps across the city—the first one in more than 500 years!