NASA says a partial eclipse is on the way for Thursday

NASA says a partial eclipse is on the way for Thursday

With a partial eclipse, the moon and sun are off-center, meaning that only a fraction of the sun is blacked out by the moon.

In case you have ever wanted to see a crescent-shaped sunset, now if your chance to cross that item off your bucket list.

According to a recent report from NASA, there will be a partial solar eclipse on October 23, resulting in a sunset that is “red, beautiful, and crescent-shaped.”

Where a full eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, essentially blacking it out for a few minutes, a partial eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of the sun, but not directly. Instead, with a partial eclipse, the moon and sun are off-center, meaning that only a fraction of the sun is blacked out by the moon.

In the words of the NASA report, the solar phenomenon is going to make it look like the New Moon took a bite out of the sun, leaving the sun looking like a partially eaten cookie.

So how much of the sun will be left visible? That depends on where you live and where you are watching the eclipse from. NASA says that most of the country should be able to see the solar event, with only Hawaii and New England being left out. Different states within the visibility range will be different levels of coverage between the moon and the sun. From Alaska, for instance, NASA estimates that the sun will appear about 70 percent covered. From Florida, on the other hand, the moon will graze over only 12 percent of the moon.

NASA provided a few tips and tricks to help observers maximize their enjoyment of the solar event. The first is to not stare directly at the eclipse, as the sun can cause eye damage even when partially obscured. Another is to watch the eclipse from under a leafy tree, where the overlapping leaves will create pinholes and reflect the light in unique fashion.

The partial solar eclipse will take place on Thursday, October 23. It will happen at about 6:00 p.m. on the East Coast and 2:00 p.m. on the West Coast.

 

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