LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michiganders are right in position to catch a partial solar eclipse on Saturday.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun in line with Earth’s orbital plane, blocking out the sun’s light in a distinct path along earth’s surface.

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The path of totality, where the sun is almost completely covered, stretches from Oregon to Texas and then into Central America.

This year’s eclipse is an annular eclipse, where the sun forms a “ring of fire” around the moon. Michiganders who want to see the ring will need to head south, toward the path of totality. Just under half of the sun will be covered in Michigan, so viewers can expect to see the sun as a bright orange crescent.

The best viewing times in Michigan will be around 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Cloudy skies could pose a problem for astronomers this weekend, as widespread rain showers are predicted across the state.

Those who do observe the event will need to find special eclipse glasses, according to NASA, which warns that viewing even part of the sun through a camera, binocular, or telescope lens can cause instant and severe eye injury. Proper eclipse eyewear is thousands of times darker than sunglasses and should comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.

Michiganders are in for another treat in April 2024, when a total solar eclipse will likely be just barely visible from the southeast corner of the state near Toledo. This would be Michigan’s first time in the path of a total eclipse since 1925, and it will likely be the last until 2099.