Maine may just luck out this weekend, with fair conditions expected for viewing the partial solar eclipse that will cross over the state on Saturday.
A few clouds may dot the sky, but the sun is expected to be visible enough to allow for eclipse viewing, with high temperatures in the low 60s.
You will need eclipse glasses to see the partial eclipse.
Partial eclipses happen when the moon is at its furthest point from us and then passes between Earth and the sun. At that time, the moon appears smaller than the sun and does not completely cover the star. Only about 16 percent of the sun will be covered when the eclipse is viewable in southern Maine, but it will still make for an impressive sight.
In April 2024, when the moon gets between us and the sun, it will be closer to the Earth, thus appearing large enough to block the sun altogether.
For watching Saturday’s annular eclipse, it’s important to never look directly at the sun without proper solar viewing glasses, often known as eclipse glasses. They are thousands of times darker than your typical shades and comply with international safety standards.
The University of Maine’s Versant Power Astronomy Center will also host a viewing event at 11:30 a.m. culminating with public ganders of the eclipse through the Clark Telescope.
If you can’t get eclipse glasses, you can always use the indirect viewing method. That involves punching a small hole in a piece of cardboard and looking at the sun’s projected image as light pours through the tiny hole, hitting some dark surface.
WGME staff and BDN writers Leela Stockley and Ethan Andrews contributed to this report.
CORRECTION: The story originally included a link to information regarding the 2024 eclipse.