By now our readers have surely heard all about the solar eclipse that will be visible across the United States today. It’ll peak in Louisiana at some point around 1:30 local time, and while we won’t get a total eclipse – the middle part of the country will get more of that, and the closest place to us should be somewhere in Tennessee – we can expect about three-quarters of the sun to be blocked out by the moon.

The last solar eclipse to cover the United States was in 1979, with the last total eclipse to occur over us coming about a century ago. Another is expected in 2024. Solar eclipses aren’t all that uncommon; there’s one somewhere on the planet every year or two.

In case you’re interested in getting prepared for what to expect today, here’s footage of a total eclipse that happened in 2006 from a vantage point in Libya. Notice that the sky gets as dark as night when the eclipse comes, so while Louisiana won’t get the full effect it’s worth being prepared for a significant (75 percent, to be exact) darkening of the skies beginning around noon, peaking at around 1:30 and ending around 3:00.

Here’s another bit of footage from last year, as an eclipse over the Pacific Ocean was seen via an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage to Honolulu. Yes, the cameraman got a bit overexcited…

Our experience won’t be anything quite this dramatic. The moon will pass across what will look like the top of the sun, though, leaving a crescent at the bottom. You’ll notice the crescent-shaped shadows that will pop up everywhere on the ground, too, which is an interesting side effect of an eclipse.

Oh – and try not to stare at this thing if you don’t want to go blind. It’s very bad for your eyes. By now, you’re probably out of luck to find any glasses allowing you to look at the eclipse as well. But here’s a video showing how to use saltine crackers to watch it…