How to watch Saturday’s partial solar eclipse

The moon will be passing in front of the sun on Saturday in a phenomenon known as a “partial solar eclipse.”

As the name suggests, it means that unlike a total solar eclipse, a part of the sun will still be visible, but the spectacle is still worth enjoying if you’re in a location from where it can be viewed.

Those places include parts of North America, Europe, Africa, northern Asia, small parts of South America, throughout Greenland and Iceland, as well as much of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

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“In much of the Americas, including the northeastern United States, the partial solar eclipse will already be in progress during sunrise,” NASA says on its website. “In western Europe and northwestern Africa, the eclipse will begin in the mid-to-late morning. In eastern Europe and northern Asia, most or all of the eclipse will occur in the afternoon or early evening.”

And take note, if you do decide to watch this weekend’s partial solar eclipse, it’s essential that you use proper eye protection or an indirect viewing method to protect your eyes. NASA has a useful webpage about keeping your eyes safe during eclipses.

What to expect

Assuming that you get a clear view, you can expect to see the sun appear like a crescent — or as if a section has been removed from it — as the moon passes in front of it.

How to watch

Saturday’s partial solar eclipse will be viewable from states in the northeast of the U.S., specifically Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

In the U.S and Canada, the partial eclipse will occur early in the morning during sunrise, so be sure to set your alarm.

For specific viewing times in the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the world, take a moment to check out NASA’s detailed breakdown, which also tells you how long the eclipse will last (from a couple of minutes to about an hour), and the percentage of the sun that will be covered by the moon, according to your location.