LIHU‘E — Island residents whipped their solar filters out — not the kind that protects your skin, but your eyes. The first solar eclipse of 2013 was visible for Hawai‘i residents starting at about 2:20 p.m. Thursday. The Kaua‘i Educational
LIHU‘E — Island residents whipped their solar filters out — not the kind that protects your skin, but your eyes. The first solar eclipse of 2013 was visible for Hawai‘i residents starting at about 2:20 p.m. Thursday.
The Kaua‘i Educational Association for Science and Astronomy hosted a viewing at the Pacific Missile Range Facility this afternoon.
The moon slid across the sun, and at the peak of the eclipse, the moon took a “bite” out the sun, covering 30 to 40 percent of it. It ended at about 5 p.m.
Roz Reiner, association director at KEASA, said the group had a solar scope set up at PMRF, specially fitted with solar filters, and sunglasses with appropriate solar filters.
Kaua‘i Community College’s astronomy and physics instructor, Michael Hannawald, also hosted a viewing party at the college’s Puhi campus.
Hawai‘i was the only state in the United States that got a peek of the solar eclipse.
Australia, Eastern Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Gilbert Islands had a much better view of the eclipse, according to the NASA website.
