NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Come this weekend, things will once again be looking up — toward the skies — during a solar eclipse that you'll be able to see from all parts of the mid-state.
Saturday won't be a total solar eclipse like in 2017. This time around, the moon is much further away from the earth, making it too small to completely cover the sun. Astronomers call this type an annular solar eclipse.
In Nashville, we'll see as much as half of the sun covered up by the moon at the maximum peak, at 12:05 p.m. Saturday.
But because there won't be a total solar eclipse like six years ago, you'll have a large window of time to see its impact. You'll begin noticing the moon in front of the sun around 10:30 a.m., and it will last about three hours.
"You don't have to worry about being out at an exact time," said Dr. William Teets at Vanderbilt University's Dyer Observatory. "If you're not outside right at the peak time, even if it's 30 minutes before or after, you probably won't be able to tell the difference."
So you may want to dust off those solar eclipse glasses from six years ago to take a peek.
But unlike last time, when you could take the glasses off during the height of the eclipse, this time astronomers say you need to keep the glasses on the entire time since the sun will never be completely covered.
The Dyer Observatory is giving away eclipse glasses. Check here to see if they're still in stock.
And you won't have to wait too much longer for the next total solar eclipse. It'll be next year, on April 8.
