The moon’s putting on a show next week, and us earthlings are going crazy for it. Here are the 11 things Seattleites need to know about Monday’s total solar eclipse:
- It’s the first total solar eclipse in the U.S. in 38 years. So, kind of a big deal. Here’s video of the last one, in 1979.
- Tons of people are traveling to the ‘zone of totality’ to see it. That’s the 90-mile band across the United States where the moon will completely cover the sun. And it’s close — just a drive down to Oregon.
- Traffic is going to be the worst. Want to leave early Monday morning to catch the big show in Oregon? Don’t. “Come early, and I mean days early, not hours, and be prepared to stay put,” an Oregon transportation official told The Seattle Times.
- The best time to watch Seattle’s partial eclipse is 10:21 a.m. That’s when the moon will cover as much of the sun as we’ll be able to see from here — 92 percent. The whole eclipse lasts from 9:08 to 11:38.
- This tool shows you exactly what you’ll see at your zip code and when. It’s super handy.
- Don’t look at the sun without special glasses! Or a pinhole camera. Or a mask you weld together ‘cause you’re handy that way. Or something else NASA calls safe.
- Glasses are super hard to get. The library’s out of them. Stores have sold out. Word on the street is that the Pacific Science Center will have 800 to give away Monday morning, though.
- You can take pictures. If you’re careful. NASA has a lot of tips.
- There’s all kind of watch parties around here. The highlights…
- Pray it’s not cloudy. ‘Cause that wouldn’t be any fun. Here’s the nerdiest way to keep tabs on coming cloud cover.
- Oh yeah, there’s a livestream. NASA’s got us covered.
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