Imagine the surreal experience of seeing day light disappear and be replace by darkness in the middle of the day. This rare occurrence happens when the axe of the moon passes exactly in front of the sun and blocks the light. Here is everything you need to know:
When?
The sun will go dark at 10 am PST.
Can I look at the eclipse without sunglasses?
No, the sunlight is so powerful that it can burn your retina and leave you with a blind spot for the rest of your life. However, any damage to your eyes is easily preventable with the right protection.
Can I look at the eclipse with my sunglasses?
No, you need special glasses that block 99.997% of visible light. The typical sunglasses filter about 87% of visible light. Julbo's Spectron 4 lens which is one of the darkest on the market filters 95% of visible light.
Look for the ISO-12312-2 mark before buying sunglasses for an eclipse. This will assure there is a thin layer of aliminium to protect your eyes against the dangerous ultra violet and infrared rays.
What will I see?
Depending on which city you live in, you will see a partial or fuller eclipse. Vacouver will see about 90 percent of a full eclipse while Halifax will get only 60%. If you want to experience the full eclise, you need to travel between the axe of Oregon and South Carolina in the US.
Another option is the watch the live stream from the Nasa.
