Are you excited for the total solar eclipse this month? NASA is.The U.S. space agency has been releasing information, graphics and videos for more than a year in anticipation of the day the sky goes dark, Aug. 21, 2017. Below are two short animations from NASA to help you better understand what happens when the moon travels between Earth and the sun.

This visualization shows the path and intensity of the moon's shadow across the U.S. that will appear during the solar eclipse Aug. 21. Only a small area in the very center of the shadow will experience a total eclipse. Other areas will see a partial eclipse, in which a crescent of the sun will remain visible.

NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

When the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, it casts a shadow with two parts, represented by different shades in this animation. The darker, inner shadow is called the "umbra." That's where all of the sun's light is blocked by the moon. Notice that the umbra becomes smaller further away from the moon. The less dark, outer shadow is called the "penumbra," where the sun's light is only partially blocked.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Katy MersmannFor a fuller explanation of what happens during an eclipse, here's a short video from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.A word of caution from the Missouri Department of Public Safety: Expect major traffic and use extra caution while driving the day of the eclipse.To continue learning about the solar eclipse and how it will affect the Earth, read more on NASA's website: https://go.nasa.gov/2vIppm6.