For those who missed it Thursday, our Tom Fox captured the partial solar eclipse.
Staff writer Paige Kerley reports:
Don’t look now (or later without taking precautions), but the sun and moon will do a dance this afternoon.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Dallas-Fort Worth starting at 4:48 p.m. and last until sundown at 6:43 p.m. NASA posted a map showing where and when it will be visible in North America.
NASA says viewers in the Central time zone, like us, will get the best view because the partial eclipse will be at its “maximum phase” at sunset.
“They will see a fiery crescent sinking below the horizon,” NASA’s narrator says on the video below.
Such an eclipse occurs when the moon slips between the Earth and the sun, partially blocking it from view and casting a shadow on our planet.
However, viewers must remember to never look directly at the sun, which could cause permanent eye damage or blindness.
NASA suggests a few tips to be able to enjoy the eclipse without risking your eye safety:
Projection: This choice is the safest and most inexpensive way to view the eclipse. Put a small pinhole in a card and hold a screen (a piece of white paper works fine) between the sun and screen a few feet away while standing with your back to the sun. The image of the sun will show up on the screen.
Filters: Special filters are available to view the sun directly. These filters usually are coated with a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver. An example of these filters are #14 (or darker) welder’s glass or aluminized mylar.
Telescopes with solar filters: These telescopes are designed to allow viewers to look directly at the sun. Viewers can purchase these or visit a local astronomy club or planetarium.
The Planetarium at UT Arlington and the Noble Planetarium in Fort Worth are offering free watch parties during the eclipse this evening from 4-7 p.m. The John Bunker Sands Wetlands Center in Seagoville is also offering a free watch party, but tickets are limited to the first 150 people.
Earlier this month, the dance was reversed when the Earth passed between the sun and the moon, causing a lunar eclipse.