An annular solar eclipse will be visible Sunday afternoon and evening from China and Japan across the International Date Line (effectively commencing Monday and continuing on Sunday!) and across the eastern Pacific and southwestern U.S.
The direct path, where the eclipse be essentially total, extends from northern California to western Texas. Outside this region, the eclipse will be partial, offering a beautiful crescent-shaped slice out of the sun.
In Central Ohio, the moon will begin to take a “bite” out of the solar disk around 8:04 p.m., as the sun begins to set and quickly dips below the tree line, limiting our view to the point of barely registering.
Due to the low sun angle and attenuation in the hazy atmosphere, a projection hole will not work as an indirect means of observation.
The partial eclipse locally will be less than 10 percent at best and quickly diminish as the sun lowers in the sky. The best views here will undoubtedly be on websites such as NASA.
An annular eclipse occurs when the moon covers most, but not all, of the sun as it passes in between the solar surface and Earth. The visible portion of sun surrounding the “black hole” caused by the moon will appear as a spectacular luminous ring.
Astronomers caution that there is NO safe way to directly view the sun — not through sunglasses nor a telescope — even during a partial eclipse. The only option is specially coated eclipse glasses such as those available through Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.
Click the link above for more information on safe viewing.
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