Here in Greenville, and our surrounding areas, we’re going to experience approximately an 81% blockage of the sun on Monday afternoon. It won’t be a total totality (in other words, not completely dark), but this is still an experience you won’t want to miss.
If you’ve never experienced an eclipse before, you might want to be sure that you have your solar eclipse glasses ready. There are some stores which still have them in stock so you can purchase them, and some eyecare stores are giving them away for free.
You can NOT experience this phenomenon without solar eclipse glasses – at least not with looking directly at it while it’s taking place. Do not view it with your bare eyes as it can cause severe eye injuries. You won’t want to use regular everyday sunglasses either. If you can’t see through the solar eclipse glasses, that’s a good thing because you’ll be able to see the eclipse take place without any issues. As a matter of fact, you can test them in advance by putting them on and looking directly at the sun. Believe it or not, you’ll be able to see an orange, glowing fireball!
You can also make your own eclipse viewer from a cereal box if you want to save money. Or, you can use two sheets of paper to make a pinhole projector.
We are going to have the privilege of seeing this event take place around 3 pm on Monday, April 8.
If you have children, they will have an E-Learning day that day, so that they may experience this event at home.