A total solar eclipse will pass over North America on April 8th, but California will only get a partial view. This year’s total solar eclipse will begin its journey across North America, beginning over the South Pacific Ocean. From there it will be visible along a narrow path starting in Southern Texas at around 3pm PST. From there it will travel on a path Northeast until passing over Northern Maine at around 6pm PST.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. This results in an obscuring of the view of the Sun from a narrow part of the Earth, either totally or partially due to the Moons shadow.
When Can the Eclipse Be Viewed?
According to the map created by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the dark path across the map is where the largest area of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. People in this path will experience a total solar eclipse. Inside the dark eclipse path are irregular ovals that delineate the Moon’s shadow on the Earth’s surface. On the map, the ovals contain times inside corresponding to the shape of the Moon’s shadow cast at that time during the eclipse.
Outside the eclipse path, the map displays contours of obscuration, or percentage of the Sun’s area covered by the Moon. Readers can trace the lines to percentages printed along all sides of the map that range from 95% to 10% obscuration. The dark path marks when 100% obscuration begins.
Based on the map provided, here in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, we should expect an obscuration between around 45% and 50%.
On April 8th, the partial eclipse will begin around 10:03am and end at approximately 12:31 pm.
Be Safe During the Eclipse
It is advisable to not view the solar eclipse directly with your eyes as the Sun's harmful solar radiation can cause permanent damage. Instead, when viewing the eclipse, be sure to wear protective eye equipment that meets or exceeds the international safety standard of ISO 12312-2:2015.
“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 said. So, it is essential to install special solar filters on any cameras, binoculars, and or telescopes before use.
