Isles to see partial
solar eclipse

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By Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.com

A partial solar eclipse, the only one visible from Hawaii this year, will begin just after 8 a.m. Friday as the moon begins to move in front of the sun.

Weather permitting, islanders will see nearly 80 percent of the sun's disk blotted out by the moon at the peak of the eclipse, about 9:27 a.m., Mike Shanahan, Bishop Museum Planetarium manager, reports in the December "Skywatch."

But the sun's surface is so bright there won't be a noticeable drop in brightness, he said. The sun will be uncovered completely by 11 a.m.

Shanahan said the event will be visible from Vancouver, Canada, to Lima, Peru. All states except New England will have a partial eclipse. But it will be "deeper" here than anywhere else in the United States, he said.

For example, from Honolulu, the moon will cover nearly 79 percent of the sun's disk at 9:27 a.m., he said.

From Miami, Fla., one of the best sites on the mainland, slightly more than 53 percent of the disk will be covered at the peak, just before sunset.

It isn't safe to directly view any solar eclipse, partial or total, Shanahan cautioned, pointing out even a sliver of sunlight can do permanent eye damage.

The only time it's safe to look directly at an eclipse is during the few moments of a total solar eclipse, he said. The Dec. 14 eclipse will not be total anywhere in the world.

The Bishop Museum will open an hour early, at 8 a.m., on Dec. 14 and host eclipse activities until 11:30 a.m.

Members of the Hawaiian Astronomical Society and the museum will assist with eclipse viewing. Some telescopes will be equipped with solar filters and others will project the sun's image on a sheet of paper.

The planetarium will present a 25-minute "Eclipse Show" at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., looking at the alignment of sun, moon and Earth that creates solar and lunar eclipses.

A 25-minute demonstration on the legends and lore of eclipses will be offered at 8:30 a.m. and at noon.

In preparation for the partial eclipse, the planetarium is presenting "The Eclipse Show" every day at noon through Dec. 14.

Regular museum admission includes the special eclipse programs.

Bishop Museum staff at Kalia in the Hilton Hawaiian Village also will view the eclipse at the ocean side of the resort from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

For those watching the celestial event at home, Shanahan provides these tips:

>> Find a small, hand-held mirror.
>> Cut a dime-sized hole in a sheet of paper.
>> Place the paper, with the hole in it, over the reflecting side of the mirror.
>> Use the mirror to reflect the sun's image onto a wall or a sheet of white paper attached to a wall.

For best results, reflect the sun's image onto a surface that is in a shaded, dark area. For a good-sized image of the sun, the wall should be at least 20 feet away from where you are standing.

For safe viewing techniques, visit the Mr. Eclipse.com Web site: http://www.mreclipse.com/Totality/TotalityCh11.html