You’ll be able to see a partial eclipse on Monday, April 8, on and around the Route 1 corridor.
Although it lies outside the solar eclipse’s path of totality, the corridor will see an 87.4 percent coverage of the sun on Monday afternoon.
According to a NASA eclipse tracker, the eclipse will start at 2:04 p.m. in Hyattsville, reach maximum coverage at 3:20 p.m., and return entirely to normal at 4:32 p.m. Monday is forecast to be partly cloudy.
In an interview with DC News Now, Bowie State University professor Dr. Dawit Hailu said it won’t be until 2079 that Maryland will see a partial solar eclipse of this magnitude.
If you decide to go outside to see the eclipse, do not look directly at the sun. Instead, you can make a pinhole camera from household items to project an image of the sun onto the ground — a fun art project for kids — or you can buy special eclipse glasses that allow you to look up at the sky safely.
You can get free eclipse glasses at the NASA headquarters at 300 E St. SW in D.C. They are also on sale at Staples at 2950 Belcrest Center Dr. in Hyattsville and at Annie’s Ace Hardware at 3405 8th St. NE in Brookland. You can also get them free with an eclipse-themed drink Monday at the Sonic Drive-In near Hyattsville.
If buying online, make sure the glasses are made by one of the American Astronomical Society’s approved glasses sellers and makers, as some sites are selling counterfeits.
There will be free solar eclipse viewing parties Monday. Here’s a list below of some events taking place locally and nearby:
-The Hotel at UMD at 777 Baltimore Ave. in College Park (learn more here), 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
–The University of Maryland in front of Martin Hall at 4298 Campus Dr. in College Park, (learn more here) 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
–The College Park Aviation Museum at 985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. in College Park (learn more here), 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
–NASA Goddard Visitor Center at 9432 Greenbelt Rd. in Greenbelt (now sold out)
-Bowie State University at the Bulldog Football Stadium on Loop Road in Bowie (learn more here), 2 – 4 p.m.
-The National Mall in D.C. (learn more here), 12 – 4 p.m.
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