Millions of Americans on Monday will watch a total solar eclipse, the last one visible in the contiguous United States until 2044.
The best places in the country to watch the rare cosmic show — when the moon will pass between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the sun for about 4 minutes — will be in a 115-mile wide strip stretching through 15 states from Texas to Maine.
California will receive a lesser, but still remarkable show, a partial solar eclipse, where the sun will look like a giant yellow disk with a bite taken out of it Monday morning.
If you aren’t traveling to see the full spectacle, NASA has you covered. The space agency will broadcast the total eclipse live, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Pacific Daylight Time, on its YouTube channel, providing provide telescope views from several sites along the “path of totality,” along with expert commentary. Watch it here:
In the Bay Area, the eclipse will begin at 10:14 a.m., then peak at 11:13 a.m. and end at 12:16 p.m.
To watch it, you must wear special eclipse glasses to protect your eyes. Looking at an eclipse can cause permanent damage to your retinas. If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can project the eclipse image. Take two sheets of paper, or a stiff notecard, and use a thumbtack to poke a smooth round hole in the middle.
During the eclipse, turn your back to the sun, hold the paper up over your shoulder, and the solar image will be projected onto the ground or other surface nearby. The same thing can be done by holding up a kitchen colander, and projecting dozens of images at the same time through its tiny holes.
To find out what the eclipse will look like and when it will happen in any community, go to: www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-april-8 and enter your town into the box at the upper right.
According to NASA, 20% of the sun’s area will be obscured if you are in Seattle; 22% in Portland; 34% in San Francisco and Oakland; 36% in San Jose; 48% in Los Angeles and 54% in San Diego.
