Image Courtesy: Rhys Jones

Partial Solar Eclipse Today

By Paul Trambley @yourmetpaul October 22, 2014 11:04 am CDT

Back on October 8th, much of North America was able to view a total lunar eclipse, as the earth passed between the moon and the sun. Now it's the sun's turn to get in on the action as a partial solar eclipse will occur over much of North America today. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. The diagram below, provided by the folks at NASA, gives a nice animation of how this phenomena occurs.

Animation of solar eclipse.

As tempting as it may be, refrain from looking directly at the sun during the event, as irreversible damage to the eye can occur when doing so. The best way to view it is with a camera or telescope that is fitted with a solar filter. Wearing a pair of welder's goggles with a rating of 14 or higher will also keep you protected from the damaging rays of the sun. If you don't have a solar filter or the proper goggles, there are some old-fashioned methods that can come in handy. One of these methods is done by putting a pinhole into a notecard or piece of paper. Then put the notecard in the path of the sun and catch the projected shadow on another notecard. The other notecard should show an image of the partial eclipse. If you don't have success right away, try changing the size of the pinhole or increasing the distance between the two notecards until you find the desired result.

For folks in the central time zone, the partial solar eclipse starts at around 4:24pm and will peak at about 5:36pm. The partial eclipse will be greater the further north you are in North America, as the arctic regions will see nearly 80% of the sun covered. Meanwhile in Minneapolis, MN, 61% of the sun will be covered by the moon at its peak. To find the timing of the eclipse, you can use a handy tool called the Eclipse Calculater, which will outline the start and maximum eclipse times for you. If your city is not found, try a larger city that is nearby and you will get a close estimate for viewing times. Happy viewing...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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