Summer Fun: Solar Eclipse May 20, 2012

The first solar eclipse of 2012 will take place this Sunday, May 20th. Depending on where you live, some may be able to witness an annular eclipse in which the moon blocks out all but a ring of the sun's light. Others will see the sun as a crescent, partially obscured by the moon for a period of 4 to 5 minutes. This is a great time to teach your children about solar eclipses and have a little fun with it, too!

According to NASA, If you're living in the Riverside area, it will begin at 4:26pm, with the maximum eclipse time at 5:38pm, and the end of the eclipse at 6:42pm.

VERY IMPORTANT: NEVER VIEW THE SUN WITH THE NAKED EYE OR WITH ANY OPTICAL DEVICE, SUCH AS BINOCULARS OR A TELESCOPE

So, how do you view the eclipse? There are commercial glasses and viewers that you can buy, or you can go the very simple route as described below:

1 Get 2 pieces of white cardboard or cardstock
2 Cut a square in one piece of cardboard and tape a piece of foil over the square
3 Poke a pin hole through the middle of the foil
4 With the sun behind you, hold the pinhole cardboard as far from the other piece of cardboard as you can. The second piece will act as a screen. Remember, the farther away you are from the screen, the bigger the image.

Photo courtesy of Exploratorium

Check out their "How To" guide HERE