Since before the birth of Christ, mathematicians have been able to predict what day the moon will pass between the earth and the sun, creating an eclipse.

At the end of the 19th century, the predictions had become exact enough to allow not only the prediction of the day and hour of an eclipse, but also the location of totality – where the moon will blot out the sun’s disk entirely.

As the first total eclipse of the sun in the 21st century approaches on Monday, however, the question is not about the science of celestial mechanics but of human psychology. How will Americans react as the moon’s shadow works its way from west to east, from coast to coast, throughout the day Monday?

In Colorado, officials are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.

Read more at The Loveland Reporter-Herald.