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By Miriam RafteryImage left, solar eclipse courtesy of NASA
April 3, 2024 (San Diego) – A partial solar eclipse will create a celestial spectacle in San Diego’s skies on Monday, April 8th—the last chance to glimpse a solar eclipse in the continental U.S. for 20 years. But be sure use eclipse safety glasses to protect your eye if you want to view the eclipse live.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. In San Diego, the eclipse will cover 55 percent of the sun, according to Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater astronomer Lisa Will, Associated Press reports.
The eclipse will begin at 10:03 a.m., peaking at 11:11 a.m. locally, concluding at 12:23 p.m. It will start in Mexico, creating a path of darkness as it moves northeast toward Maine, with a total eclipse in 15 states and partial eclipse visible outside the total eclipse path.
The Julian Dark Sky Network will host a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Monday, April 8 starting at 10 a.m. at the Julian Library. The event is open to the public and includes eclipse viewing glasses.
They will have solar telescopes set up for viewing the sunspots, flares, prominences and granular photosphere of our nearest star, the sun. Inside, there will be a slideshow projection of night sky and astrophotography images celebrating International Dark Sky Week.
NASA advises that you inspect your eclipse glasses before use; if torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged, discard the device. Always supervise children using solar viewers.
Photo, right: A crowd uses handheld solar viewers and solar eclipse glasses to safely view a solar eclipse. Credit: National Park ServiceDo not look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury, unless a special solar filter is attached.
Across the nation, NASA has teamed up for a variety of solar eclipse educational and viewing events, such as NASA scientists throwing out the first pitch at several major league baseball games, NASDAQ showing the eclipse live on its screen in Times Square,New York, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosting an eclipse viewing event.
Several national parks are hosting eclipse events,and NASA is also working with Google on new eclipse content on the Arts & Culture and other Google pages.
For more information, you can visit https://go.nasa.gov/Eclipse2024.
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