Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Offers Safe Viewing and Hands-on Activities
On Monday, April 8, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in San Diego. The Fleet Science Center is hosting a viewing party outside the Fleet in front of the iconic Bea Evenson Fountain. The event is free and begins at 9 a.m.
The partial solar eclipse will begin at 10:03 a.m. when the Moon appears to touch the Sun’s edge. The climax, when the Moon is closest to the center of the Sun, will be visible from San Diego at 11:11 a.m. Viewers will see the most exciting moments between 10:45 and 11:45 a.m., with the eclipse concluding at 12:23 p.m. when the Moon leaves the Sun’s edge.
Local astronomy and eclipse experts from the University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University, and the San Diego Astronomy Association will be available to answer questions.
Hands-on demonstration stations will feature crafting eclipse projectors, a fun and free activity that lets you safely observe the eclipse’s mesmerizing progression through its shadow projection.
Craveology Café and the North Star Science Store will open at 9 a.m. so eclipse viewers can enjoy coffee and breakfast and shop for safe-viewing eclipse glasses and other eclipse-themed merchandise.
The Fleet galleries will open at 10 a.m. and feature special eclipse programming, which is included with the price of admission.
- There will be a live feed of the eclipse in the Fleet’s Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. Viewers can see the totality projected on the Dome screen starting at 10:30 a.m.
- Eclipse-themed activities throughout the day in Studio X, the Fleet’s creative makerspace
- Let your imagination soar in our Space Gallery as you connect with the cosmic event.
For more information on the Fleet’s Solar Eclipse Viewing Party, visit fleetscience.org/events/solar-eclipse-viewing-party.
More than 3,000 people attended the October 2023 viewing event, during which San Diego experienced 70 percent of the solar eclipse.
Please note: Special equipment is needed to observe the eclipse. It is not safe to look directly at the sun during a partial solar eclipse. Looking directly at the eclipse can cause permanent eye damage. Telescopes and binoculars project images of the Sun on a flat surface, similar to a pinhole camera.
Special Eclipse glasses are available to purchase from the Fleet’s North Star Science Store. If you wish to observe through a telescope, you need a solar filter and cannot use your typical spotting scope to align.
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