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Partial solar eclipse this afternoon

Astronomers warn not look at the sun

Look, it’s a bird, it’s a plane ... no, it’s a solar eclipse.

The eclipse is scheduled to start at 3:18 p.m. today, reach its height at 4:36 p.m., and end at 5:42 p.m.

And one of the first things people need to know is that they should not look directly at the sun when it goes into partial solar eclipse late this afternoon. Not even with sunglasses, experts say. A quick glance or observation of the shadow cast on the ground are the only safe ways to see it with the naked eye.

“Even if the partially eclipsed sun is setting at your location and appears red or orange and not too bright, it would be wise to glance only briefly at it,” astronomer Bob Berman told Space.com. “Moreover, telephoto lenses amplify the brightness, and it would not be safe to look at the sun through your camera lens even if the sun is setting. Eyesight is precious, and if there’s any doubt, don’t do it.”

If you want to fully observe a partial solar eclipse, build a pinhole camera or solar projector with binoculars. Instructions to build both are available online.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon, sun and earth line up, with the moon blocking all or part of the sun from the viewer’s perspective. In today’s eclipse, about 45 percent of the sun will be blocked at our latitude. (It will be up to 80 percent blocked in the Canadian Arctic.)

According to NASA, the United States won’t see a similar partial eclipse until 2023. This partial solar eclipse is the opening act for a complete solar eclipse that will take place Aug. 21, 2017, the first one visible from the contiguous 48 states in almost 40 years.

abutler@durangoherald.com

On the net

Visit www.space.com for instructions on how to safely view the eclipse and a webcast of the event.

www.Slooh.com, the griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the University of Arizona’s Skycenter at Mount Lemmon will also offer webcasts.



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