Partial Solar Eclipse To Grace Chicago Skies Today
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This afternoon is the last chance for three years to see a partial solar eclipse in Chicago.
WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports the eclipse starts around 4:30 p.m., and peaks around 5:45 p.m. – just before sunset – when the moon will block out roughly half of the sun.
"If you want to catch a glimpse of this wonderful event, you should be somewhere with a really clear sightline out to the west-southwest, where the sun will be setting," Adler Planetarium astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz said.
As with any eclipse, people should not look directly at the sun to get a view of the partial eclipse.
Walkowicz said filters for her telescopes will prevent eye damage and reveal more than just the moon's shadow for visitors who attend the Adler Planetarium's eclipse viewing party, starting at 4 p.m.
"We have a free program from 4 to 6, where you'll be able to look at solar telescopes, which have special filters that will keep the sun from hurting your eyes," she said. "We have a very, very large sunspot that's just rotating into view, so the sun itself – even if it wasn't covered by the moon – is still really fun to look at, this week in particular."
You also can make a simple eclipse viewer by poking a smooth, round pinhole in a sheet of simple white cardboard, and holding it between the sun and sidewalk. Holding the cardboard at the proper angle and distance from the sidewalk will create an inverted image of the eclipse.