Lawrence Berkeley Hall of Science to host solar eclipse celebration Saturday
BERKELEY -- Squinting isn't good enough for viewing the partial solar eclipse this Saturday morning. The eclipse will be visible across the Bay Area, obscuring 77% of the sun's light at its peak, but don't look at it without the right shades.
"The sun is very bright and the amount of ultraviolet that comes from it is dangerous for our retinas. So, you should never look at the sun at any time," said Dr. Bryan Mendez, astronomer and director of the planetarium at the Lawrence Berkeley Hall of Science.
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The public is invited to watch the event from the Lawrence's 270-degree observation point. There will be a special event featuring hands-on solar science activities, including telescopes and a live feed, and scientists from UC Berkeley's space sciences laboratory will be present to answer questions.
Saturday's eclipse will start in Oregon and cross through Texas, but everyone in the continent will be able to see a partial eclipse.
Special solar eclipse viewing glasses will be available for purchase from the Lawrence Discovery Store, and Lawrence members get free eclipse viewing glasses while supplies last. More information on the event is available at the Lawrence Hall of Science website.
The peak time for viewing is between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., but the eclipse will occur between 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.