BUFFALO, NY — WNY will get a front row seat to a sunrise solar eclipse on Thursday morning. The celestial event will begin at approximately 5:37am and continue for almost an hour before the moon and sun slide past each other.
WNY is well-positioned to experience about 80% of the sun disk blocked by the moon. The transit of the moon will cause the sun to take the shape of a crescent moon, although glowing many times brighter. The process of the moon passing across the sun will take about an hour and will begin right at sunrise so make sure you have an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon to best take in this celestial event.
7 Eyewitness News watched it happen live from the roof of the Buffalo Museum of Science as the solar eclipse happened. Tim Collins with the museum's astronomy team says it is a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse because of how the conditions lined up.
You can relive it by watching our Facebook live stream here:
Viewing this event with the naked eye or even with sunglasses can cause eye damage so it is VERY important to use the proper methods of viewing! Check out some simple ways to safely view the eclipse below.
A special pair of solar viewing glasses are a great option, but odds are you don't have a pair around the house, so here are your next best options.
1) Piece of paper with a small hole which when held above a flat surface will allow the eclipse to be shown... 100% safe and can be done in minutes!
2) Invert a pair of binoculars allowing the sun to enter the wide end which will produce a clear image of the sun to be shown below it. DO NOT use the binoculars to look directly at the eclipse!
For more info on these and other methods click here...
