Hawaii residents will get their second chance in six months to see a partial solar eclipse in two weeks. Partial solar eclipse
will be visible here June 10The moon will block about half
of the sun during the afternoonStar-Bulletin staff
About 1 p.m. June 10, the moon will slowly begin to hide the sun. About two hours later, at the eclipse's peak, the moon will have blocked about 52 percent of the sun.
According to officials at the Bishop Museum, the eclipse will end around 4 p.m.
Hawaii last experienced a partial solar eclipse on Dec. 14, when the moon blocked 79 percent of the sun, but visibility was marred by clouds and haze.
Hawaii residents might have an advantage over other Americans in viewing the eclipse, according to the Bishop Museum. Because the eclipse occurs in the early afternoon here, the sun will be high in the sky. By the time the eclipse passes over North America, it will be late afternoon, and the chances of cloudy skies are greater, museum officials said.
Much of the western United States and Canada will be able to view the partial eclipse, but coverage of the sun will vary from 40 percent in the Pacific Northwest to 70 percent in southern California.
The eclipse will first be visible in Asia on June 11 and will pass over eastern China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia before crossing the international date line and becoming visible in Hawaii and parts of North America on June 10.
Mike Shanahan, Bishop Museum planetarium manager, told the Star-Bulletin in December that looking directly at a partial or total solar eclipse can cause permanent eye damage.
Shanahan said that viewers at home can make a filter to see the eclipse by:
>> Finding a small, hand-held mirror,
>> Cutting a dime-size hole in a sheet of paper,
>> Placing the cut paper over the reflective side of the mirror,
>> And using the mirror to reflect the sun's image onto a white wall or a piece of white paper attached to a wall.
The Bishop Museum's Shop Pacifica also offers such filters.
In anticipation of the event, the Bishop Museum will offer "The Eclipse Show" from June 8 to 10 at 11:30 a.m. The show will look at the science behind solar and lunar eclipses, cite examples of eclipses in history and folklore and give a preview of a Dec. 4 total solar eclipse that will occur over southern Africa.