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to your eyes.
• What is a partial eclipse? In a partial eclipse of the sun, the moon's distance from Earth isn't so important. A partial eclipse differs from an annular eclipse only in that the moon doesn't line up with the sun quite so directly, as seen from your vantage point. In a partial solar eclipse, the moon appears to take a bite out the solar disk. How big a bite? On May 20 (or 21 for those in Earth's eastern hemisphere), that will depend on how close you are to the path of the annular eclipse on Earth's surface - shown in the images above as that red central line (the

Nearly all North America gets at least a partial eclipse on May 20th, with the moon taking a big bite out of the sun. The eclipse will still be in progress at sunset for much of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Image credit: SkyandTelescope.com

one with circles inside it, indicating it's the track of the moon's shadow across Earth). The closer you are to that shadow track, the greater the partial eclipse you'll see.
• The eclipse starts at sunrise on May 21, 2012 in Asia, travels eastward across the North Pacific Ocean and ends at sunset on May 20, 2012 in North America - nearly six hours later. Strange that the date goes backwards? Yes, as the shadow path moves along over Earth's surface, it crosses the International Date line, going east. In fact, midway between Asia and North America, the greatest eclipse happens at local noon, very close to the International Date Line.
• We wish to remind you of the utmost importance of using proper eye protection when watching a partial or an annular solar eclipse.
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