Tomorrow, April 8, 2024, there will be an eclipse of the sun viewable in the Ridge communities. This is a historic event of the celestial kind.
The sun, the moon, and the earth are all lined up right now so that the moon, on its normal trajectory, will pass between the sun and the earth, blocking the light of the sun from the earth.
On the Ridge, a "partial eclipse" will be viewable, but it is almost full. From North Beverly down to Blue Island, viewers will be able to see a 94.3 – 94.5% full eclipse, from 12:51 p.m. to 3:21 p.m., with the maximum point at 2:07 p.m.
People are advised not to stare directly at the eclipse so the retinas of their eyes are not damaged. Special glasses that are 1,000 times darker than sun glasses, blocking out almost all light, have been available from many vendors, including the Adler Planetarium, Amazon, Walmart, and libraries.
Viewers are advised to use filters to protect the lenses of their cameras, recorders, and phones from being "fried."
Many people are traveling hundreds of miles from Chicago to areas where the full eclipse is viewable. The path passes from southwest to northeast of Chicago.
Undoubtably there will be numerous pictures and videos of the eclipse for people to study.