Partial Eclipse To Be Visible Thursday Afternoon
(Photo credit: YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)
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College Hoops EditionLANHAM, Md. (WNEW) — A partial solar eclipse will be available from much of North America this Thursday, according to NASA.
A sunset eclipse will be visible from the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada except for the far northeast. In D.C. and Baltimore, the event will begin around 5:52 p.m. and peak around 6:17 p.m. The sun will set only a few minutes later, around 6:19 p.m.
NASA warns that, even during a partial eclipse, “viewing it without eye protection risks permanent eye damage or blindness.”
Here are NASA’s eclipse-viewing tips:
1) Projection: The safest and most inexpensive way to watch a partial solar eclipse is by projection. Place a pinhole or small opening in a card, and hold it between the sun and a screen – giant sheet of white paper works – a few feet away. An image of the sun will be seen on the screen.
2) Filters: The sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces. One of the most widely available filters for safe eclipse viewing is a #14 (or darker) welder’s glass. A welding glass that permits you to see the landscape is not safe. Aluminized mylar manufactured specifically for solar observation can also be used. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. Only use filters that you know have been approved for solar viewing.
3) Telescopes with solar filters: There are sun-specific telescopes available for sale — or perhaps through a local astronomy club — that are also safe for viewing a partial eclipse.
