Solar Eclipse 2017 In Massachusetts: Where To Watch, What To Know

BOSTON, MA — For the first time in nearly a century, a total solar eclipse will be visible across North America. Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 is when the magic happens, and many are calling it a once-in-a-lifetime event. Still, sadly, the solar eclipse won't be "total" in Massachusetts. But in other parts of the country it is. Do you have travel plans yet?

The total eclipse viewing corridor (somewhat amazingly called the "Path of Totality") will stretch across 14 states, according to NASA. The first sighting in the U.S. will be in Lincoln Beach, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. PDT (12:05 p.m. EST) and will last be seen in Charleston, South Carolina, at 4:05 p.m., according to NASA. Hotels along the "Path of Totality" are booking up fast. Some folks have noted they reserved hotel rooms in the path of totality years in advance. Flights to places like Charleston and St. Louis are starting to fill up, too.

Massachusetts is definitely not in the "path of totality zone," according to eclipse2017.org, but there will be a 63 percent eclipse action, which means the moon will cover about 63 percent of the sun at the height of the eclipse, turning the sun into a little crescent shape.

Watch: A Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming, And The US Has Prime Seats

The partial phases will start around 1:23 p.m. in the far Western edge of the state and make it to Boston at 1:28 p.m. At 2:46 p.m. the moon will cover most of the sun. It will then pass by the other side to end the partial eclipse around 3:59 p.m.

What will you see? (If you even can see it, that is. Might want to check out these NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses before it's too late.)

Experts say look out for daytime to start to feel like evening. As the sun's light begins to go away, the temperature drops, and look for crescent-shaped shadows from the leaves on the ground, even in partial eclipse zones.

So what’s the big deal between seeing a partial versus total solar eclipse?

Scientists are especially excited. And say there's a big difference. From the folks at MIT:

"A total solar eclipse is a million times more spectacular than a partial eclipse! That is not hyperbole, it is precisely the factor by which the brightness of the Sun and the sky changes (in an instant!) at the moment of transition from partial eclipse to TOTAL ECLIPSE. At the moment total eclipse begins, the last sliver of the Sun’s disk becomes hidden behind the edge of the Moon. For the duration of the total eclipse (about two minutes), nightfall is all around you even though it is mid-day. Stars appear in the sky! All that is visible of the Sun is its eerie outer glowing halo called the corona. Then just as instantly, the total eclipse ends and daylight dramatically returns as the Moon continues its motion, allowing the Sun’s disk to re-emerge."

Fun fact: Total solar eclipses occur about once every 18 months and are visible from at least some place on Earth, but it would take a millennium for every spot in just the U.S. to see one, according to NASA.

NASA will be streaming the event live from several cities in the path of the total eclipse.

You can also use this interactive Google map to find the spot of the longest eclipse. An interactive map with additional events throughout the U.S. is found here.

NASA and all the eclipse-watching sites warn that even if you're not traveling to the path of totality you should always use eye protection to view the eclipse (or a pin hole projector! Ask your science teacher or your grandpa). Sites from Amazon to eBay across the internet offer quick delivery for eclipse glasses, but make sure they're legit (see more on this below).

Solar Eclipse Viewing Tips

Looking directly at the sun is unsafe, and the only safe way to look directly at the sun or partially eclipsed sun is through special “eclipse glasses” with solar filters, warns NASA, which offers these tips:

• Homemade filters or sunglasses are not safe for looking at the sun. Five manufacturers have certified that their eclipse glasses and handheld solar views meet international standards, and they are Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical, TSE 17and Baader Planetarium.
• Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright sun. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the sun.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury. Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars or any other optical device.
• If you are within the path of totality, remove your solar filter only when the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets quite dark. Experience totality, then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear, replace your solar viewer to glance at the remaining partial phases.
• An alternative method for safe viewing of the partially eclipsed sun is pinhole projection. For example, cross the outstretched, slightly open fingers of one hand over the outstretched, slightly open fingers of the other. With your back to the sun, look at your hands’ shadow on the ground. The little spaces between your fingers will project a grid of small images on the ground, showing the sun as a crescent during the partial phases of the eclipse.

EVENTS IN THE STATE:

• The Public Library in Randolph is hosting a viewing party. And it will be providing eclipse glasses.
• Kingston Public Library in Kington will host a watching party, live streaming NASA's footage and then head out to watch there.
• In Worchester, The EcoTarium at the Science Museum is typically closed on Mondays but is opening the museum from noon to 4 p.m. for this special event that will include:
  • Planetarium demonstrations led by museum educators
  • Telescope viewing (first-come, first-served, weather dependent)
  • Peak Partial Eclipse Party
  • Total eclipse imagery from across the country
  • Stormtroopers and Jedi are landing at the EcoTarium for its Solar Eclipse Celebration. Come dressed as your favorite character and meet members of the 501st New England Garrison.
• The Watertown Free Public Library is hosting a viewing party on the front lawn of the library to view the partial solar eclipse. There will be fun activities, eclipse snacks and special eclipse-viewing glasses available.
• Check your local libraries, science museums and planetariums to see what's going on.

WHERE TO TRAVEL NEARBY:

• If you have the means and the flights aren't all full, it might be worth it to hop on a plane and travel to St. Louis, Columbia, South Carolina, or some other spot where the sun will disappear, leaving just a little flicker behind it.
• Just south of Philly the sun will be blocked more than 75 percent by the moon, so that's cool, too.
• But if you're looking for a party: The Connecticut Science Center will host a Total Eclipse Celebration the weekend of Aug. 19. The event will kick off Sunday, Aug. 20, with live science events centered on this amazing celestial event. Members who visit on Saturday and Sunday can also pick up their exclusive solar eclipse kit, complete with a pair of NASA-approved solar eclipse glasses. Then on Monday, Aug. 21, attendees can view the solar eclipse at the Connecticut Science Center while enjoying fun family-friendly activities. The center will have tons of activities from crafts to live streams along the path of totality, as well as food trucks and a dance party. Science Center staff will be on hand to answer questions and give further information on the solar eclipse. Yoga class led by Vasu Tribe Studio of Hartford will also be available.

Two years ago, in September 2015 there was a total lunar eclipse visible in Boston, and the last partial solar eclipse was in 2014, but it mostly happened below horizon.

There was a lunar eclipse on Aug. 7, however it will only be visible on the other side of the world. Lunar eclipses happen a lot more regularly — two to four times per year, when the moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow, according to Space.com. Lunar and solar eclipses happen in pairs, with the lunar eclipse happening within two weeks of a solar eclipse.

Images via NASA: The moon’s shadow cones during a total solar eclipse. Observers on Earth within the smaller, central shadow, or umbra, see a total eclipse. Within the larger shadow, the penumbra, observers see a partial eclipse. Credit: NASA