Google released some fascinating data about the coming total eclipse
Sometimes the data just falls into place.
Data from Google shows that people around the United States are increasingly searching for information about the upcoming total solar eclipse.
But more than that, the people who are doing the most searching are actually the ones in the path of the eclipse, set to take place on August 21.
That trend is so clear that the Google map showing searches for the word "eclipse" in the last seven days actually vaguely tracks the path the total eclipse will take across the country.
This makes a lot of sense, right? The people most likely to search for "eclipse" or information about it are the ones in the path of the event itself. It's always fun to see a dataset reflect something you can intuitively understand.
If you break down the data by metro region, the path carved through the country (and the search data) becomes even more clear.
Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho -- which is in the path of the eclipse -- is the metro area with the most interest in the eclipse in the past week, according to the search information, but if you widen that out to look at a search breakdown by state, Oregon has the most interest in the "eclipse" search.
Oregon is actually the first state that will experience the total phase of the eclipse, when the moon fully passes in between the Earth and the sun, casting its dark shadow on the surface of the planet.
Totality will begin along the Oregon coast at 10:15 a.m. PT.
The total solar eclipse will pass over about a dozen states before moving out to sea after leaving the South Carolina coast at about 3 p.m. ET.
August 21 will mark the first time a total solar eclipse has been visible from the contiguous U.S. since 1979.
Even if you aren't in the relatively small path of the total eclipse, you'll still be able to see at least a partial eclipse from any spot in North America. (Just be sure to grab some serious eclipse glasses to protect your eyes.)
Topics Google
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.
