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Solar Eclipse: What You’ll See In The Monterey Bay Area

Noel Freitas
The May 20, 2012 solar eclipse seen through shadows on the Monterey Recreation Trail.

If you haven’t hit the road by now, then you probably aren’t planning to see Monday’s solar eclipse in totality. The closest states to view it are Idaho and Oregon.  

But locally you still can see a partial eclipse, as long as morning clouds and fog don’t block your view.

“You will see a basically a crescent sun for an hour or so during the mid-morning,” says Brian Skiff, Research Scientist at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona.  

“And 70% sun is still a bright sun. So you can’t look at the sun directly,” he continues.  

That means you’ll need eye protection, not ordinary sunglasses, but glasses designed for looking at a solar eclipse. Click here for recommendations from the American Astronomical Society.

The moon will begin passing over the sun around 9:15 Monday morning. It will peak here around 10:15 a.m. and the partial eclipse will be over around 11:15 a.m. Skiff says even if you don’t look up, you’ll notice it.

“The twilight won’t be like the mid-morning bright sun, but instead like the twilight or late afternoon lighting. And you might notice the shadows are really sharp on the ground, and even crescent shaped. If you have small breaks in a tree, you will see a crescent shaped silhouettes of the sun and it will be an interesting kind of view,” says Skiff.

The next total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. will happen in 2024. 

MaryJane joined KAZU in 2011. She has loved radio for as long as she can remember. MaryJane started her radio career as a news intern at WGN in Chicago. After graduating from DePaul University with a degree in Communications, she moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where she anchored the evening news for KAFF and its radio affiliates in Northern Arizona.

At KAZU, MaryJane plays a key role in keeping the station on the air as KAZU's Technical Operations Chief.

Mj hosts All Things Considered every Wednesday and also currates the weekly program: KAZU's Sunday Sound Adventures.