By Eduardo Rojas / e.rojas@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: May 17, 2012 12:03 PM EDT

On May 20, 2012, east coast U.S. states will miss out completely on the solar eclipse because the sun will have already set by the time it starts and people living in NYC will have to swipe about $776 on airfare, as of May, 17, to see it.

In the U.S., the annular eclipse will star its course at 5:24 p.m. PST near the Oregon-California border and will end at 7:39 p.m. PST over northwest Texas close to the city of Lubbock.

Western states will have the best angle to view this sky phenomenon with Albuquerque, New Mexico being the best place to appreciate it since the city falls directly on the eclipse's central path.

States that are well positioned for the eclipse include California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

READ MORE - WATCH THE SOLAR ECLIPSE LIVE, ONLINE BROADCAST, STREAMING   

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves right between the Earth and the sun, partially or totally obscuring sunlight. An annular eclipse is a solar eclipse where the moon's diameter appears slightly smaller than the sun, resulting in the sun looking like a ring of fire around the moon.

The eclipse will have a duration of 5 minutes and 46 seconds and will be visible in countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan and the western region of the U.S. and Canada.

The sky is expected to darken significantly and the air to cool palpably.

Eye injury from observing eclipses are not common but, still, specific eye gear for long observations is recommended.

The following are quick homemade crafts that will help keep your eyes protected when viewing the celestial occurrence.

Sunday's eclipse will be 21st century's first central eclipse in mainland U.S. and the first annular eclipse as well since May 10, 1994.

Details about May 20, 2012 -

As of May 17, 2012, average roundtrip airline tickets from New York city to Albuquerque, NM cost about $776 including taxes and fees, tickets normally fare between about $350 to $500 dollars when not in high season.

According to apocalyptic theories, a major earthquake is to strike the earth on Sunday when the Sun, Moon, Earth and the center of the galaxy line up and coincide with the solar eclipse.

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