Will I See The Total Solar Eclipse In Metro ATL?

METRO ATLANTA — Excitement is building in metro Atlanta for the April 8 total solar eclipse. We’re not among some 32 million Americans living in the path of totality, but neither will we miss out on the celestial sensation.

In the United States, the path of totality extends from Texas to Maine, but each of the 48 continental states will see some of the solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon slips between our bright star and Earth. In metro Atlanta, the moon will cover about 82 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code.

Here are the details:
Partial eclipse begins: 1:45 p.m.
Totality begins: 2:26 p.m.
Maximum: 3:04 p.m.
Totality ends: 3:41 p.m.
Partial ends: 4:20 p.m.

The eclipse will last 2 hours and 35 minutes from beginning to end in metro Atlanta.

Some school systems have adjusted their calendars for the April 8 eclipse observance, while others will provide solar eclipse glasses for outdoors. Few of them are as follows:

Cobb County School District - early release day
DeKalb County School District - independent learning day
Gwinnett County Schools - operating on a normal schedule; providing solar eclipse glasses
Fulton County Schools - providing solar eclipse glasses

• Related: You Must Protect Your Eyes, Regardless Of Eclipse Totality: What You Need

Right now, it looks like we could have rainfall for the big event.

The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

• Related: Animals May Behave Oddly During Eclipse