CHICAGO — The city should have sunny skies Monday afternoon as many attempt to get a glimpse of the rare partial eclipse.
Monday will be mostly sunny and breezy with daytime highs reaching the lower 70 degrees as a partial solar eclipse moves through the area in the early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
A solar eclipse — which won’t return for another 20 years — presents itself when the moon’s orbit wedges between the sun and Earth, blocking views of the sun totally or partially. A total solar eclipse is expected in downstate Illinois, according to NASA.
Chicago will be close, with a maximum coverage of 93.9 percent for its partial eclipse, according to NASA.
The event starts in Chicago about 12:51 p.m., has its maximum coverage about 2:07 p.m. and concludes about 3:21 p.m., according to NASA.
People are advised to not look directly at the sun without some level of eye protection — ideally protective solar eclipse glasses, according to the National Eye Institute. The National Eye Institute also advises against looking at the sun through binoculars, photo cameras, telescopes or any optical device, as its rays can penetrate through them and still burn the eye.
For people who still have glasses from the 2022 lunar eclipse, those can be reused, provided the lenses don’t have scratches, folds, tears or punctures of any kind.
Pet owners are advised to keep their animals inside because although they aren’t likely to look up at the eclipse for long periods of time, their eyes could be damaged if they did, experts said.
Events around the city celebrating the rare astronomical event are planned for Monday afternoon.
Monday will be the warmest day in a few weeks, according to the weather service. Temperatures will gradually turn cooler during the week, with rain expected Wednesday night through Thursday evening.
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