We're probably about the umpteenth person to tell you this, but there's a solar eclipse on Monday, August 21—a total eclipse, in fact, for part of the country. Here in Los Angeles, though, the moon will only obscure about 62% of the sun's surface area. Even though the sun will be reduced to a petite crescent, it's still far too bright to view safely without the proper eyewear (seriously, don't stare at the sun on Monday, or ever, really).
Before we dive into where to view the eclipse and the mad scramble for protective eyewear, let's take a deep breath and put the hype into perspective: Monday's eclipse is far from the first such event to be visible from Southern California—y'all remember that "ring of fire" eclipse in 2012, or the transit of Venus barely two weeks later?—and it won't be the last. It's true that Monday's occurrence will be the first total eclipse viewable from the lower 48 states since 1979. But here in L.A., we won't be seeing full coverage of the sun anyway.
A solar eclipse is coming on August 21. Here’s what it will look like where you are. https://t.co/VK4rKWO7CO pic.twitter.com/z7zoRuVvqw
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 16, 2017
In fact, a partial eclipse on October 14, 2023, will cover about 9% more of the sun's surface, as seen from L.A. So mark that on your calendar.
As for this upcoming eclipse, first things first, you'll need some safety gear if you plan on viewing it directly. Sunlight-filtering eclipse glasses have been in short supply, but Warby Parker is handing out free pairs, as is your local public library—though we're told those are already pretty scarce.
If you can't procure a pair of eclipse glasses, you can poke a pinhole into a box or a piece of foil pointed toward the ground to view a fuzzy projection of the eclipse. Or, if you have a set of binoculars on hand, point the lenses at the sun and the eyepieces toward a piece of white paper to crisply focus a projection of the eclipse.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
As for where and when to watch, look to the southeast. The moon will begin to obscure the sun at 9:05am, with peak coverage occurring around 10:21am. By 11:44am, the sun will once again be completely uncovered. Heading to higher ground won't give you a more dramatic eclipse—you'd have to head a few hours north for more coverage—just a potentially less-obstructed view.
If, on Monday, you find yourself still without eclipse glasses and want to brave the crowds to grab a pair, consider these viewing parties across L.A.
Griffith Observatory
When thinking, "Where should I view this celestial phenomena?" many Angelenos' answer is the Griffith Observatory. In other words, expect huge crowds, traffic jams and an extremely limited number of eclipse glasses for purchase.
Mt. Wilson Observatory
The mountaintop observatory will be handing out a limited supply of glasses. It'll also be opening up its 150-foot solar tower to project an enlarged image of the sun—which sounds considerably cooler, if you ask us.
California Science Center
The Exposition Park museum will have scientists on hand to field questions, as well as a limited supply of safe viewing tools.
Natural History Museum
Swing by the museum in the morning for a guided viewing session with museum scientists.
Glendale Community College Planetarium
The Glendale observatory will host a "make your own eclipse viewer" workshop as well as stream NASA video and hand out a limited number of free glasses.
Caltech
The prestigious school will host eclipse viewers on the Beckman Lawn astrophysicists, a live stream, solar telescopes and a limited supply of free glasses.
Kidspace Children's Museum
Pasadena's Kidspace invites museum attendees to make their own pinhole viewers and will also be passing out a limited number of free eclipse glasses.
By Michael Juliano
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