Birmingham Area Schools, Businesses Brace for Eclipse Viewing

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Today, all of North America will get to see a rare event of nature in a total solar eclipse. While many eclipse enthusiasts in Alabama have made plans to travel to other locations to view the eclipse, thousands of people across the state and in the Birmingham area will drop their daily routines and venture outside their homes, offices and schools to view the event.

University of Alabama astronomers have revealed where in Alabama people can view the event. The map can be viewed here.

As many of those viewing the eclipse will be seeing one for the first time, a great deal of confusion and misinformation has been spread around regarding what to expect during this event.

According to the UA report, from most of Alabama, the eclipse lasts from about noon to 3 p.m., with deepest eclipse near 1:30 p.m. "In pinhole projection, sunlight passing through a small hole makes a small image of the Sun on whatever material is used for a screen, which gets larger the farther away the screen is," the UA report states. "In much of Alabama, there are trees with enough leaves to form natural pinholes, with the advantage that they are high off the ground." (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

The next solar eclipse will not occur for another five years, and the last time the contiguous U.S. saw a total eclipse was in 1979.

(Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)