On Monday the so-called “Great American Total Solar Eclipse” will darken skies from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles wide.

It will first hit the United States at a spot just north of Newport, Oregon, at about 10:15 a.m. Then the path of totality will pass from the West coast to the East through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina over the course of about an hour and a half.

There will be 21 U.S. National Parks with great views of the eclipse. And while Louisiana is not in the path of totality, it will still get some of the experience.

The eclipse will become obvious in Washington Parish at just before noon. It will enter into its fullest coverage stage here at just before 1:30 p.m., and by 3 p.m. it will be over.

Remember to never look directly at the sun, even when it’s in eclipse. Sunglasses will not help either. Only special eclipse glasses will keep eyes safe from potentially permanent damage.

Total eclipses are rare because they can only happen at the new moon phase. The last total solar eclipse took place on July 22, 2009, and the last coast-to-coast eclipse was in 1918. The next total eclipse will be in 2024.