Today’s the day! People have been counting down for months, buying their solar eclipse glasses, and making plans to travel to the best places in the United States to catch a glimpse of the eclipse of the sun.

But why is this eclipse so special? After all, total solar eclipses occur approximately every 18 months.

What makes this eclipse so rare is that it will traverse the entire United States, meaning people in all 50 states (and Canada) will be able to see at least a partial eclipse. This hasn’t happened since 1918.

Since 70 percent of Earth is covered in ocean, eclipses often occur over water or in very remote locations. But today, people across North America will get to take in the incredible astronomical phenomenon.

Do be warned: if you don’t have specially designed eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer, it is not safe for you to look at the eclipse.

Don’t worry, though – we’ve got you covered! If you don’t have the proper eyewear or are located somewhere not in the path of the eclipse, you can check out NASA’s live coverage of this major event below:

Are you as excited for the total eclipse as we are? So share this!