DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Make sure you look up to the skies today!
An annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America on Saturday, according to the U.S. National Aeronautic and Space Administration.
Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Eboni Deon says Georgians will see 52% of the solar eclipse starting at 11:43 a.m., with peak time at 1:12 p.m. and ending at 2:45 p.m.
Atlanta area viewers will likely see the eclipse starting around noon on Saturday, visible for two to five minutes.
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The Fernbank Science Center has big plans to make sure you don’t miss it.
The free event will have fun science activities, and around 11 a.m., visitors can view the partial solar eclipse through their telescopes.
Scientists say areas on the West Coast may have a better view of this “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse, but for teacher Sean Fankhauser, it’s about the experience for his students at the science center.
“I try not to tell them what to look for but have them use their senses and observe things and be aware of certain things that might be changing around them,” Fankhauser told Channel 2 Action News.
To safely view the eclipse, observers should get eclipse glasses to ensure they don’t go blind from the intense light of the sun’s ring.
Ordinary sunglasses are not enough to protect your eyes.
“Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury,” NASA warned.
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AAS provided tips for safe viewing with solar eclipse glasses:
- Always inspect your solar filter before use; discard it if scratched, punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged. Read and follow any instructions printed on or packaged with the filter.
- Always supervise children using solar filters.
- If you usually wear eyeglasses, keep them on. Put your eclipse glasses on over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.
- Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking at the bright sun. After looking at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
- Do not look at the un-eclipsed, partially eclipsed, or annularly eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
- Similarly, do not look at the sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewer in front of your eyes — the concentrated solar rays could damage the filter and enter your eyes, causing serious injury.
- Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device; note that solar filters must be attached to the front of any telescope, binoculars, camera lens, or other optics.
According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024.
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