A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Southern California Thursday when the moon crosses in front of sun in a celestial dance that can be viewed at the Griffith Observatory.
The Observatory will be offering telescopes for residents to safely view the event. The path of the moon will begin to block the sun at 2:07 p.m. and gradually build to its height, which will be at 3:27 p.m.. The moon is expected to cover about 45 percent of the sun's diameter and 34 percent of its overall area.
Observatory officials and members of local astronomy clubs will be available to answer questions and ensure that visitors are safely viewing the eclipse. Protective eye-gear must be worn when viewing a solar eclipse.
Clear skies are expected throughout Southern California Thursday afternoon, but viewers are urged to not look directly at the sun because of the potential for permanent eye damage. Eclipse-viewing glasses will be available for sale in the observatory's gift shop.
The West Coast will have some of the best views of the eclipse because of the sun's position at the time of the event.
"The west coast will be able to see the eclipse easily, while the eastern portion of the United States will have the sun very low in the horizon during the maximum eclipse time," said Mario De Leo Winkler, researcher in the UCR Department of Physics and Astronomy. "The farther north you are in the country -- Alaska, Washington, Montana, Minnesota, North Dakota -- the more the moon will cover the solar disc."
In other parts of the world, the eclipse won't be visible at all.
The next eclipse viewable in the upper western hemisphere will not occur again until August 2017, according to NASA. That will be a total eclipse when the sun is entirely shaded at midday. Solar eclipses will be visible over the next three years on other continents.
"If you are fortunate enough to be within the shadow's area, as we will be in Riverside, then you will see how the moon takes 'a bite' out of the solar disc," De Leo Winkler said.
UC Riverside is organizing a two-hour viewing party, coordinated by De Leo Winkler, adjacent to the campus Bell Tower. There will be specially modified eyewear and telescopes available to observe the event. Department of Astronomy staff will also answer questions.
