MORE ON THE BIG DAY. GOOD MORNING TOM. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. YEAH WE’RE HERE IN PERRY SQUARE WHICH IS GOING TO BE THE SITE OF A LOT OF FESTIVITIES LATER TODAY. WE’LL HAVE CREWS HERE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS WE ARE PREPARING TO BE IN THE PATH OF TOTALITY. OBVIOUSLY QUIET NOW, BUT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE COMMONWEALTH IS NOW THE EPICENTER OF THE STATE. UNIQUE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. I MEAN, WE’VE NEVER SEEN AN EVENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE EVER IN OUR HISTORY. I MEAN, WE’VE HAD LARGE EVENTS IN THE PAST, BUT THIS IS NOT ONLY A LARGE EVENT, BUT IT’S ALL OVER THE COUNTY. IT’S NOT JUST IN ONE LOCATION. THE CITY HAS BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS FOR A YEAR. IT MAY HAVE THE MOST VISITORS IT’S EVER HAD FOR A SINGLE EVENT. PITTSBURGH IS GOING TO BE AT 97% TOTALITY, AND YOU MIGHT BRUSH OFF THAT FINAL 3%. BUT VISIT ERIE SAYS IT’S NOT THE SAME AS 100% TOTALITY BECAUSE THE SUN IS SO BRIGHT THAT EVEN WITH A SPECK OF SUNLIGHT, THERE’S STILL THE PERCEPTION OF DAYLIGHT. THAT’S THE REASON SO MANY FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE HEADED TO THIS AREA TODAY. AND COMING UP IN 30 MINUTES, THEY’RE THE LATEST FASHION TREND, BUT YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES LIKE THIS. THESE SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES, IF YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE ECLIPSE DIRECTLY, WE’LL TALK ABOUT THIS IN 30 MINUTES. AND ALSO A DIFFERENT KIND OF LENS. YOU NEED TO HAVE PROTECTED TODAY.
What to know before Monday’s solar eclipse
Officials said to not stare directly into the sun to view the eclipse
Many people have been waiting for Monday to come for years. A partial solar eclipse will be hitting the Pittsburgh region for about two hours. As thousands prepare to witness the phenomenon, the Carnegie Science Center says there are some things you should know before watching.We’ve all been hearing about the solar eclipse for quite some time now. And Monday, it’s finally here. But you still might be wondering, well, what even is a solar eclipse? “A solar eclipse is when the Earth, the moon, and the sun are in alignment,” said Amanda Iwaniec, director of theater experiences at the Carnegie Science Center. “There are a couple types of eclipses that occur. We have the one that we’re really talking about now, which is our total solar eclipse. That is when it fully covers the sun and all we are left with is a small corona of the sun’s atmosphere we are ready to see.”And with this amazing experience comes some safety concerns. We don’t normally just stare up at the sun, and as tempting as it might be Monday, it’s super important to not stare directly at the eclipse. It’s why having eclipse glasses is important.”The eclipse glasses will allow you to stare at the sun for a prolonged period of time. They are hundreds of times stronger than your typical sunglasses. So it’s really important, especially here in Pittsburgh that anytime you’re outside and you’re staring up at the sun, that you’re wearing those eclipse glasses,” Iwaniec said. That includes the photos you’ll want to take on your smartphones, which can come at a price as well.”Your phone is actually able to collect those rays and fry. We think about our eyes, but the lens on our phone are also pretty sensitive. And telescopes are pretty sensitive. You have to get special filters,” Iwaniec said. Now, Pittsburgh is not in the path of totality, but instead, partial totality. That means the moon will not fully cover the sun, about 3% of the sun’s rays will still be visible. That will begin around 2 p.m. and end around 4 p.m. Officials are warning drivers to not pull over on the shoulder of the road to view the eclipse.
PITTSBURGH —
Many people have been waiting for Monday to come for years. A partial solar eclipse will be hitting the Pittsburgh region for about two hours. As thousands prepare to witness the phenomenon, the Carnegie Science Center says there are some things you should know before watching.
We’ve all been hearing about the solar eclipse for quite some time now. And Monday, it’s finally here. But you still might be wondering, well, what even is a solar eclipse?
“A solar eclipse is when the Earth, the moon, and the sun are in alignment,” said Amanda Iwaniec, director of theater experiences at the Carnegie Science Center. “There are a couple types of eclipses that occur. We have the one that we’re really talking about now, which is our total solar eclipse. That is when it fully covers the sun and all we are left with is a small corona of the sun’s atmosphere we are ready to see.”
And with this amazing experience comes some safety concerns. We don’t normally just stare up at the sun, and as tempting as it might be Monday, it’s super important to not stare directly at the eclipse. It’s why having eclipse glasses is important.
“The eclipse glasses will allow you to stare at the sun for a prolonged period of time. They are hundreds of times stronger than your typical sunglasses. So it’s really important, especially here in Pittsburgh that anytime you’re outside and you’re staring up at the sun, that you’re wearing those eclipse glasses,” Iwaniec said.
That includes the photos you’ll want to take on your smartphones, which can come at a price as well.
“Your phone is actually able to collect those rays and fry. We think about our eyes, but the lens on our phone are also pretty sensitive. And telescopes are pretty sensitive. You have to get special filters,” Iwaniec said.
Now, Pittsburgh is not in the path of totality, but instead, partial totality. That means the moon will not fully cover the sun, about 3% of the sun’s rays will still be visible. That will begin around 2 p.m. and end around 4 p.m.
Officials are warning drivers to not pull over on the shoulder of the road to view the eclipse.
