The Tribune

A PARTIAL eclipse of the sun will take place today - and will be able to be seen from across The Bahamas.

Across stretches of the US, the eclipse will be a total eclipse, with the moon completely obscuring the sun in locations from southwest Texas through to New England.

Here in The Bahamas, how much of the eclipse you will be able to see depends on where you are.

People in the north-west Bahamas will be able to see the greatest amount of the eclipse - but all those watching are urged to be safe and protect their vision as looking directly into the sun is unsafe.

People in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Bimini, Eleuthera and Andros will be able to see an eclipse of about 35-45 percent.

Central Bahamas islands such as the Exumas, Cat Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador and Long Island will see about 28-35 percent.

Those in the south-east, such as Ragged Island, Crooked Island, Acklins, Mayaguana and Inagua will see about 20-28 percent.

The eclipse will start at 1.55pm and end at 4.15pm, with maximum coverage at 3.06pm.

The Department of Meteorology and the Ministry of Energy and Transport urged people to put safety first, saying: “Looking directly into the sun is unsafe, as it poses the risk of permanent damage to the eyes resulting in diminished vision, and can bring about other optical health complications, such as cataracts and certain eye cancers.

“The only safe way to look directly at the sun during an eclipse is through special purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even polarised dark shades, are not safe for looking at the sun.