How to get the most of the solar eclipse outside the path of totality

Poster image for solar eclipse 2024 animation video.

By Defne KarabaturAudience Engagement Editor

April 6, 2024 6:30 AM PT

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Saturday, April 6. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

The solar eclipse is Monday.
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🌉 9 lovely walks to explore L.A.’s most beautiful bridges.
And here’s today’s e-newspaper

Avoid four simple mistakes to make the most of Monday’s solar eclipse

For 4 minutes and 28 seconds on Monday, day will become night for 31.5 million people. From Niagara Falls to Mazatlán, Mexico, along the “path of totality” a total solar eclipse will blot out the sun.

Temperatures drop suddenly. The sun’s corona, which is usually impossible to see creates a spectacular view.

California is not in the path of totality. Even if the chilly storms and rains headed our way clear, we will only get to see a partial eclipse. The sun and the moon won’t be perfectly aligned.

For Angelenos, the moon will visibly cover half of the sun. In San Francisco, only a third.

Maybe that sounds disappointing. But waiting five years until the next partial solar eclipse (or 20 until the next total one) would probably be worse.

So, get out there. Take a break. Enjoy the hopefully decent weather and bask in the partial darkness.

But be careful. Solar eclipses have rules.

Don’t miss the window

In Los Angeles the eclipse will begin at 10:06 a.m. By 10:39 a.m. the moon will take a substantial bite of the sun, peaking at 11:12 a.m. It will be over by 12:22 p.m, according to the Griffith Observatory.

NASA offers an eclipse explorer map.

There are many eclipse viewing parties around Los Angeles (between 10:00 a.m. and noon), where you can ask astrophysicists questions or look at the eclipse through solar telescopes.

Don’t forget your solar viewers or eclipse glasses

“It is very dangerous to look at the partially eclipsed sun directly with your own eyes,” Ed Krupp, the longtime director of the Griffith Observatory, told my colleague Rong-Gong Lin II. “You’re tempted to do it, but it will burn the retinas permanently and cause permanent blindness.”

Those in the zone of totality can remove their eclipse glasses and watch the total eclipse with a naked eye, NASA says. But only for the minute or two that totality lasts.

It’s also unsafe to look at the eclipse through a camera lens, binoculars, telescope or regular sunglasses. You need solar viewers or eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.

The American Astronomical Society has a list of reputable suppliers of eclipse glasses, filters and viewers.

The Los Angeles Public Library will be distributing more than 20,000 eclipse glasses for free at the L.A. Maker Faire today at the L.A. State Historic Park in Chinatown.

Some Warby Parker locations (here’s a list) are also handing out free solar eclipse glasses.

Don’t bother trying to take a photo (but if you want to, here are some tips)

It’s quite challenging to get a “good” photo of an eclipse, especially of totality. The rapid change from daylight to twilight darkness requires technical adaptability.

But here’s your best bet: Use your eclipse glasses or a certified solar filter over the camera lens.

You can also use a black tape or a cloth to cut down on the light between the solar filter and the lens.

“We would not recommend pointing [your phone’s camera] directly at the sun for extended periods of time with no filter,” Google’s Pixel camera team told my colleague Ron.

You can equally enjoy the experience by putting your phone down, looking at how other people are reacting and noticing the changes in nature.

Speaking of nature...

Don’t forget that it’s still daytime (some animals will forget)

The Great American Eclipse of 2017 mystified tiny marine creatures known as zooplankton.

“One hour before the sky went dark, the confused little critters began swimming up the water column to start their nighttime feeding routine,” wrote my colleague Deborah Netburn. “As soon as totality was over” they “made their way back to the safety of deeper, darker waters,” realizing their mistake.

This time, researchers and scientists will observe how the solar eclipse will interfere with the routines of animals at Texas’ Fort Worth Zoo.

“It’s sort of adorable, this whole colony of tiny little creatures being like, ‘Oooh, nighttime!’ and then a few minutes later they’re like, ‘Oops,’” solar physicist Dan Seaton told Deborah in 2017. “It’s all part of the magic of eclipses.”

Read more

How to avoid heartbreak if chasing ‘totality.’
What you need to do to watch safely.
6 excellent L.A. spots to watch the awe-inspiring solar eclipse.

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