(FOX40.COM) — An annular solar eclipse is expected to visible across most of Northern California on Saturday.
According to NASA, an annular eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, but the moon doesn’t completely block the sun’s rays.
Due to the moon being farther away from earth, it appears smaller than the sun and therefore doesn’t completely block it.
People in Northern California will start to see the sunlight dim around 8:44 a.m., as the moon passes between the earth and the sun. Max coverage is expected to occur at 9:20 a.m. with much of the sun being covered by the moon, appearing as a crescent-shaped sun.
Here are viewing parties in Sacramento.
Sacramento State
The physics and astronomy department at Sacramento State will be hosting a viewing party at the planetarium, where telescopes and eclipse viewing glasses will be provided.
The planetarium is located on 6000 Jed Smith Drive near the University Union and Hornet Bookstore.
According to the university’s website, the physics and astronomy department will be setting up in the garden area behind the planetarium and will be setting up telescopes with solar filters are safe viewing.
Free planetarium shows will occur from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on a first come-first serve basis.
SMUD’s MOSAC
The SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) is hosting a free event near the museum from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The viewing event will take place at Matsui Park, south of the museum, on 450 Jibboom Street.
According to the museum’s website, protective eyewear will be available for all attendees to safely experience the astronomical event.
The museum will also have up-close views of the eclipse with a solar viewing telescope.
How to view it home
To get a glimpse of the astronomical event from the comfort of your home, NASA officials highly recommend wearing specialized eye protection to avoid a severe eye injury.
NASA recommends safe solar viewing glasses or “eclipse glasses,” which are thousands of times darker and comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.
Before wearing a pair of eclipse glasses, officials said to check if its torn, scratched or damaged. If so, discard the glasses.
It’s not recommend to look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer. Officials said the solar rays will burn through the filter and case serious eye injury.
