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Partial solar eclipse to sweep across U.S. Thursday -- don’t miss it

A partial eclipse of the sun photographed from Ventura Pier in 2002.
(Bob Carey / Los Angeles Times)
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Get out your solar glasses and your pinhole projectors: There’s a solar eclipse coming Thursday and you don’t want to miss it!

Solar eclipses occur when the moon, sun and Earth are aligned in such a way that from a portion of the Earth, the shadow of the moon blocks out the sun.

Thursday’s solar eclipse is a partial eclipse, which means the sun will never be entirely obscured by the moon. It will be visible from most of North America, but it starts at different times depending on where you live.

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For those of us watching from Los Angeles, the eclipse begins at 2:07 p.m. PDT and ends at 4:39 p.m. The most dramatic time to see the eclipse from Southern California is at 3:27 p.m. At that time, the shadow of the moon will cover 34% of the area of the sun from our point of view.

People watching the eclipse from more northern latitudes will get to see even more of the sun obscured by the moon. The deepest eclipse will be visible from the Canadian Arctic, where 81% of the sun will be covered.

Sky & Telescope magazine has put together a handy table showing the best time to catch the eclipse from cities across the U.S.

Staring at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause serious permanent damage to your eyes, so you want to make sure that you observe it safely. Consider making a pinhole projector that lets you project a shadow of the eclipse, or get yourself a pair of solar glasses that block out the sun’s harmful radiation, or find a telescope to look through that has been outfitted with solar filters.

Here in L.A., you can head to Griffith Observatory on Thursday afternoon, where you can view the eclipse from several telescopes that will be set up on the front lawn. You can also buy a pair of solar glasses at the observatory’s gift shop.

If you are feeling more adventurous, the Mt. Wilson Observatory in the Angeles National Forest will also be open to the public Thursday. Several telescopes will be set up in the observatory’s parking lot. Visitors can also check out the 150-foot solar tower telescope, which will project a large, detailed image of the sun.

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Solar eclipses occur about twice a year, but because the moon’s shadow is only a few hundred miles across, each eclipse is only visible from a relatively small portion of the planet.

“If people haven’t seen an eclipse, they may wonder what the big deal is,” said Tony Cook, who does astronomical outreach for the Griffith Observatory. “We kind of think of the sun as this perfect round thing, and to see a bite taken out of it is a bit disturbing.”

(I’m pretty sure he means that in a good way).

Happy eclipse watching, and remember to stay safe!

Science rules! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and “like” Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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