WACO, Texas (FOX 44/KWKT) — Starting around 10:20 a.m. tomorrow, the partial solar eclipse will begin.
The moon will cover 89% of the sun, leaving an 11% crescent shape to view.
“The best viewing will be from about 11 to 1. That’s when a big chunk of the sun will be will be covered by the moon and people will get a good view either through their glasses or in the life and shadows that are on the ground,” says Alan Smalls, Mayborn Museum STEM program coordinator.
The biggest concern experts are warning people about? Protecting your eyes.
“These glasses are great solar filters. They’re too dark to wear day to day, but they filter out most of the light. With these on, it’s safe to look directly at the sun. You don’t have to have glasses to be outside during the eclipse, but you do have to have these if you want to look at the sun,” shares Smalls.
Tomorrow, both the Mayborn Museum and TSTC will have festivities leading up to the solar eclipse viewing.
“We’re going to have STEM activities, hands-on things. We’re going to have our planetarium here and door prizes, and everyone who comes is going to get some free eclipse glasses so they can safely view the eclipse,” says Conrad Lund, TSTC Challenger Learning Center coordinator.
If you miss the ring of fire in the sky tomorrow, don’t worry: You’ll have another chance to see an even cooler one in a few months!
“Next year, in April, when we have our total eclipse, the moon will be at a closer position. It will cast a larger shadow, and we will be completely covered. It will completely cover the sun so that we can see stars during the daytime and things like that,” shares Lund.
For more information on the different places you can view the solar eclipse, you can visit here.