LOOK UP!
On Thursday, June 10, 2021, people across the northern hemisphere – including here in Michigan – will have the chance to experience an annular or partial eclipse of the Sun.
What the heck is an annular eclipse?
During an annular eclipse, the Moon is far enough away from Earth that the Moon appears smaller than the Sun in the sky. Since the Moon does not block the entire view of the Sun, it will look like a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk. This creates what looks like a ring of fire around the Moon.
Sorry…some Michiganders will only see a partial eclipse
In Metro Detroit, skygazers will only see a partial eclipse.
This happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not exactly lined up. The Sun will appear to have a dark shadow on only part of its surface. Viewers in parts of the eastern United States and northern Alaska will see a partial solar eclipse on June 10, along with much of Canada and parts of the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
In the United States, the partial eclipse will be visible along parts of the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, and in Northern Alaska.
When should I look to the sky?
The eclipse will be visible in Michigan from sunrise about 5:50 a.m. until 9:11 a.m. on June 10. You can use this map to look at the best viewing time for your location.
How to safely view the partial eclipse
It is never safe to look directly at the Sun's rays, even if the Sun is partly or mostly obscured. When watching a partial solar eclipse or annular solar eclipse, you must wear solar viewing or eclipse glasses throughout the entire eclipse if you want to face the Sun. Solar viewing or eclipses glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun.
If you don’t have solar viewing or eclipse glasses, you can use an alternate indirect method, such as a pinhole projector. Pinhole projectors shouldn’t be used to look directly at the Sun, but instead to project sunlight onto a surface.
Watch a video from NASA on how to make and use your own pinhole projector below:
You can find out more about the June 10 annular eclipse here.
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