A total solar eclipse follows a regular sequence. First, the moon takes a tiny bite out of the sun, only visible with a solar filter to reduce the sun's glare. Then the moon continues its trek across the solar disk and the nibble gets larger.

In the 15 minutes before totality, more than half the sun is covered and the effects are easy to see on Earth. The sky darkens and the temperature drops. With five minutes to go, a wall of shadow creeps toward you from the west. The sun's disk is a thinning crescent.

Bright stars become visible, as day turns into night. Just before totality, a halo forms around the darkened sun and the corona emerges.

Bailey's Beads, bright segments of the solar chromosphere, become visible. Like a diamond, one last brilliant bead of sunlight shines brightly before winking out. Totality!

During totality, part of the sun can be observed safely with the naked eye—the only time that's possible. The solar corona forms a bright halo and the chromosphere can be seen as a pink ring hugging the edge of the moon. Prominences that can normally be detected only with expensive filters can be seen easily.

The period of totality varies from eclipse to eclipse and can last from a few seconds to a maximum of seven-and-a-half-minutes. You are witnessing one of the most spectacular shows in nature—enjoy the moment!

As totality ends, you'll see the series repeat itself in reverse. The dazzling diamond-ring effect appears once again, followed by Bailey's Beads. The sky brightens, the wall of shadow recedes to the east, and slowly the blazing sun is uncovered as the moon glides away.