Lunar eclipses are a sight to behold, but if you want a true glimpse of the cosmos at work, what you need to see is a total solar eclipse.

Total solar eclipses are rare; only 25% of eclipses are total eclipses, and these happen only about seven times in a decade. The next one is coming real soon - on August 1.

Total solar eclipses are even rarer to see by the fact that at any given geographic location, a total eclipse will be visible by an average of only once in 375 years. The thing about total solar eclipses is that you have to be in a certain place on the Earth to see it because of the moon's umbra (its shadow).

See that picture above? That dark spot is the moon's shadow as seen from the International Space Station from the total solar eclipse of 2006. You need to be under that shadow to see the moon totally cover the sun, or else you'll only see a partial eclipse.

So where will you have to be on Earth to see the total eclipse of the heart ahhh no bad joke on August 1? It can be seen on the Northern hemisphere, and its path will begin in Canada and will continue on to Greenland, Russia, Mongolia, and China. Other parts of the globe will only be treated to a partial eclipse.

I find it poetic that it will end on China, seeing as the 2008 Olympics will start only days later. Good sign, or bad omen? Oooooh, cosmic scariness. The show will start around 8:30 a.m. Greenwich Meridian Time. Now remember, if you intend to watch that eclipse, read up on safe sun-watching.

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