What to expect for April 8 solar eclipse viewed from Orono
Solar eclipse viewers watching the cosmic spectacle on April 8 from the University of Maine campus and surrounding town of Orono can expect to see the moon cover 98.9% of the sun, leaving a glowing sliver in the sky.
Orono is not located along the path of totality for the eclipse, in which the corona, a wispy veil of light, will wrap around the moon as it blocks out the entire sun, but a partial eclipse is still a beautiful sight to behold. The eclipse will start at 2:20 p.m. in Orono, with the maximum — the point at which 98.9% of the disk of the sun will be covered by the moon — at 3:32 p.m. The eclipse will finish at 4:40 p.m.
Despite Orono only experiencing a partial eclipse, viewers are still urged to take necessary precautions for safely viewing it, such as using eclipse glasses, other special-purpose solar filters or indirect viewing methods. Traditional sunglasses will not suffice, according to the American Astronomical Society. For more information about the eclipse or how to safely view it, visit the Versant Power Astronomy Center website.
A livestream of the total solar eclipse from the stratosphere will be made available by the UMaine High Altitude Ballooning program. More information about it, as well as other eclipse-related programs and activities at UMaine, is available on umaine.edu/eclipse.