This weekend will be our best view of a solar eclipse since 1994! Set your alarm, mark your calendars because Sunday night our sky will provide a sight to see. Now don't just plan to stare up at the sky. The sun's disk will not be completely covered so viewing the eclipse with the bare eye can cause permanent vision damage! It's extremely important to safely view the solar eclipse.
First off, what is a solar eclipse? During this eclipse the moon will pass directly over the sun. In this instance, about 88% of the moon will be covered leaving a bright ring of the sun exposed during the total eclipse.
You don't want to stare directly at the eclipse just as you wouldn't want to stare directly at the sun so what should we do? The best thing would be to get a pair of solar viewing glasses. These are often available through local planetariums and you can also find them online, they're very inexpensive...usually less than 10 bucks. You can also check online for sites where people will be safely viewing the eclipse.
If you're in the Salt Lake City area the
Clark Planetarium website has some FANTASTIC information on how to safely view the eclipse. There is also a place where you can find places to safely view the eclipse throughout the Salt Lake Valley and Utah.
Another great source is
Sky and Telescope Magazine. It's a GREAT source for eclipse and general astronomy information.
Make plans to set up shop Sunday night and take in this rare astronomical event. I promise you won't be disappointed. The sky is forecast to be clear so it's all systems go. Just be prepared to view the eclipse safely, it's so important.
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