Mini Solar Eclipse: Here’s How To Catch The Rare Little Eclipse In April

For families who love watching the sky’s action with the kids, there’s fun coming soon. The little solar eclipse will be viewable in a few days, so mark your calendars and read through to find out everything you need to know to watch. Unfortunately for North America, it can be very difficult to catch in real life – but if you’re elsewhere in the world, you’re in luck.

There is a small solar eclipse coming

It’s always fun to catch a small or partial solar eclipse in the sky because it doesn’t happen very often. Just like a complete solar eclipse, these events don’t appear as often as other sky events, which makes them special.

In a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the sun and the earth, casting shadows. The shade completely or partially blocks sunlight in some areas and instead of a super bright ball in the sky, it’s a dark ball with a bright ring around it.

at Partial or minor solar eclipseThe moon and the sun are not perfectly aligned. This creates a different look, in that instead of being completely blocked out, the sun looks like it has a bite out of it.

When can I watch a mini solar eclipse?

The next mini solar eclipse is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, April 30. It will be most noticeable in the regions around the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, Antarctica and southern South America.

He writes, “The innermost part of the eclipse is approximately south of the southern tip of South America at 20:41 UTC,” EarthSky. “The partial eclipse remains visible for the last location along its narrow path until 22:37 UTC.”

You must follow the safety guidelines to view the mini solar eclipse safely

Just like a complete solar eclipse, a partial or minor eclipse has some very important safety guidelines to follow if you want to be able to peek safely. It’s never safe to look directly at the sun, but when there’s a solar eclipse we may be more inclined to do so – but it’s only safe with a solar filter.

“When viewing a partial solar eclipse, you should wear sunglasses or eclipse glasses throughout the entire eclipse if you want to face the sun,” NASA says. “Sunglasses or eclipses are not ordinary sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun.”

If you do not have sunglasses, you can look at them indirectly through a Pinhole Display, which can be a fun craft to make with kids early on. All you need on hand is a stock of white cardstock, aluminum foil, masking tape, and a paperclip—and a NASA tutorial guide to walk you through all the steps.