Total solar eclipse on Monday 'once in a lifetime' view for some
Whether they're in the path of totality or not, millions of people around the globe are making plans on Monday to view the solar eclipse, which some consider a "once in a lifetime" view.
Posted — UpdatedAccording to WRAL's eclipse expert Tony Rice, a volunteer in the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador program and a software engineer at Cisco Systems, about 92 percent of the sun will be blocked in and around the Triangle on Monday. The darkness and effects won't be as prevalent in Raleigh as they will be in some other U.S. towns, but it should be quite a view.
- Use this tool to find out how much of the solar eclipse you'll see in your zip code
What is the eclipse, and how rare is it?
During the total solar eclipse, the moon will pass in front of the sun, casting its shadow across all of North America, marking the first event of its kind in the U.S. in 38 years.
The country's last coast-to-coast total eclipse was in 1918, and the U.S. mainland hasn't seen a total solar eclipse since 1979. The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024, and the next coast-to-coast one will not be until 2045.
According to The Associated Press, 200 million people are within a day's drive of Monday's path of totality. The total eclipse will cast a shadow that will race through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. and moving diagonally across the heartland over Casper, Wyoming, Carbondale, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee, and then exiting near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. The opportunity for viewing the eclipse in the Triangle will peak at 2:44 p.m
How to watch the eclipse
Tony Rice explains that people viewing the partial eclipse in central and eastern North Carolina will see it get darker outside than usual during the event's afternoon peak.
According to Rice, the sun will be covered less in areas northeast of the Triangle, with Roanoke Rapids seeing only about 90 percent obscuration and the most northern portions of the Outer Banks seeing only about 85 percent.
During the eclipse, regardless of their locations, people are able to carry on their usual routines outside safely with no planning necessary. People planning to look up towards the sun and view the eclipse, however, should wear approved safety glasses to prevent blindness or vision loss. Animals may act strangely during the eclipse, but there is no threat to them or their vision.
No glasses? Viewers can use use pinhole projectors instead that can cast an image of the eclipse into a box. The only time it's safe to look directly without protective eyewear is if viewers are in the path of totality and only when the sun is 100 percent covered.
Can't watch the eclipse in person?
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