Boston and other parts of New England will be treated to a view of the first solar eclipse of the year early on Thursday, and it is going to be a good one.
Thursday morning’s “Ring of Fire” eclipse will be visible for almost an hour (though the ring of fire won't be visible south of Canada).
The eclipse begins at 4:38 a.m., but we won't be able to see it until sunrise at 5:07 a.m. The phenomenon peaks at 5:33 a.m. and will be over by 6:32 a.m., so anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon will have to be up early.
Bostonians looking for the best place to view this celestial show should head to an eastern-facing beach, according to Talia Sepersky of the Charles Hayden Planetarium.
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“Boston is on the ocean, fortunately,” Sepersky said. “Anywhere you can get to a beach that faces east is great.”
If you can't rally for a pre-dawn beach trip, never fear -- anywhere high up with a good view of the eastern horizon should suffice, Sepersky said.
“Up in a high building would work,” she said. “Anywhere where you don't have buildings and trees obscuring your eastern horizon.”
More Eclipse News
In New England, only about 73% of the sun will be eclipsed at the peak. In fact, the moon will not be fully covering the sun anywhere the eclipse is visible.
“There’s no point where the sun is going to be completely covered with this eclipse because it’s an annular eclipse,” Sepersky said. That’s what creates the ring of fire effect that will be more clear in northern Canada.
Even though the sun will be only partially obscured, anyone who plans on viewing the eclipse should use solar eclipse glasses or filters to avoid eye damage.
