Astronomer Gary Boyle says next month’s total solar eclipse will happen in the early afternoon in Prescott.
The eclipse is happening on April 8th, and MyPrescottNow.com spoke with Boyle to learn how people can safely watch the rare solar event.
He says the eclipse will happen at around 2:11 in the afternoon, and will last for about two minutes, and that you need special “eclipse glasses” that you can buy online to watch it safely.
“If you cannot find these eclipse glasses, you can always try to find a piece of number 14 welder’s glass,” Boyle suggests. “Only number 14, because that’s the thickest which you can use.”
If you can’t get your hands on that either, he says you can also set up a safe viewing area using a kitchen strainer or colander with a lot of small holes.
“Just hold that device a good foot off the ground, and you’ll see little semi-circles of the moon as it covers the sun,” he explains.
You can find a photo example of how to do this, and more information about eclipses and astronomy, on Boyle’s website.