Grab your specially designed eyewear — North America’s biggest astronomical event of the year is here! A total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of the continent on April 8. The Coachella Valley will see a partial eclipse, beginning at 10:06 a.m. and continuing until about 12:25 p.m. The peak for us occurs at 11:14 a.m., when approximately 53 percent of the sun will be covered. You cannot safely observe the eclipse with the naked eye! Doing so may cause temporary or permanent retinal burns. Use glasses or filters with ISO 12312-2 certification or a pinhole-projection method to guarantee safety.
Visit the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory on April 8 to view the eclipse through telescopes with local astronomers. For more info about the observatory, and to get the schedule for public stargazing nights, go to ranchomiragelibrary.org/observatory.