Not everyone is dreaming of a white Christmas. Some Iowa stargazers hope it’s a clear day on the 25th so they can have an unobstructed view of the partial solar eclipse. Dr. Larry Staunton directs the physics and astronomy department at Drake University. He says watching this type of event with the naked eye can cause serious damage to the retina.Staunton says there’s a very simple, inexpensive, safe way to watch the moon cover the sun. It’s called a “pinhole viewer” which uses the principle called indirect projection.He says more primitive cultures viewed eclipses of the sun and moon as signs of death and destruction.This eclipse on Christmas Day is considered “partial” as the moon will only cover about 60-percent of the sun’s diameter, as viewed from Iowa. No where on the planet will this one be a “full” eclipse, where the sun is totally blotted out. It will begin on the 25th at about 9:30 a-m with the peak at 11:10 and the eclipse ending at 12:45 p.m.
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