ATLANTA — On Saturday, a rare annular solar eclipse will be visible at around noon for only two to five minutes.
There are a couple of watch parties happening in metro Atlanta to celebrate the spectacular event.
The Fernbank Science Center will host its Octoberfest event on Saturday.
The free event is a chance to enjoy a variety of fun science activities and safely view the annular eclipse.
The center will open at 10 a.m.
At the Smyrna Public Library, the public is invited to bring blankets and snacks and spread out on their lawn to watch the annular eclipse.
The library will provide free eclipse glasses to the first 250 people.
There will be crafts and science experiences.
You can view the eclipse at The Georgia Tech Observatory with their eye-safe telescopes in the Howey Physics Building between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Emory University Observatory and Planetarium will host a viewing on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
To find the observatory, go to the fifth floor of the Emory University Math and Science Center at 400 Dowman Drive in Atlanta, and follow signs to the roof.
It is NOT safe to view this or any eclipse without the proper safety glasses or other special equipment such as eye-safe telescopes.
Normal sunglasses will not protect your eyesight.
“Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury,” NASA warned.
If you are viewing the eclipse while wearing the proper eclipse glasses, NASA urges you not to look at the sun through lenses, telescopes, binoculars, or other items in addition to the eclipse glasses.
“The concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury,” NASA says.
HERE’S HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ECLIPSE VIEWER TO KEEP YOUR EYES SAFE.
An annular eclipse is an uncommon type of eclipse where the sun will be visible as a bright ring around the moon.
During the event, the moon will look small and only cover about 90% of the sun.
If you miss it, it’ll be quite a while until the next one.
The last annular eclipse happened in 2012 and the next one happens in 2046.