Tom PattersonThe Equal Earth map projection. An accurate world map is something that has evaded cartographers for centuries. But this new design just might make distorted maps a thing of the past ...

See, the world maps we’ve been using for centuries don’t show the most accurate appearance of the landmasses, either. But the Equal Earth World Map is changing that.

Thanks to this method, future eclipse maps could be accurate down to the second. However, another total solar eclipse visible from the US will not occur until 2044 .