Total Solar Eclipse: How Much We'll See In Holmdel, When To See It

HOLMDEL-HAZLET, NJ — Excitement is building in the Holmdel area for the Monday, 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 the Holmdel area, the moon will cover about 88.9 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: 2:09 p.m.
• Totality begins: 2:50 p.m.
• Maximum: 3:24 p.m.
• Totality ends: 3:58 p.m.
• Partial ends: 4:35 p.m.

The eclipse will last 2 hours and 26 minutes from beginning to end in the Holmdel area, and the weather forecast so far calls for clouds and maybe rain, according to the NASA map.

Hazlet amateur astronomer Joseph Cascella, who gave a talk at the Hazlet Library recently on the eclipse, suggests that you check in on the eclipse every 10 minutes or so, and remember to wear proper eye protection for the event - or view it projected on white paper.

In our area we won't see the totality of the eclipse, but Cascella said it still should produce the excitement of seeing daylight take on a yellowish hue and other changes, such as flowers closing during the temporary dusk. If the weather cooperates, watch from the sunny side of your house or office, he said.

Some places will hold eclipse events to see the phenomenon as a group.

"That's exciting to hear the 'oohs' and the 'ahhs,'" Cascella said of a group experience. Or can you watch with neighbors or family and friends, he added. And he said this solar maximum eclipse will be more striking than the 2017 solar minimum eclipse.

• There will be a Total Solar Eclipse Watch Party April 8 at Sandy Hook in Parking Lot E from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to information from the Hazlet Library. It is sponsored by S.T.A.R. of Red Bank (an astronomy club) and the National Park Service. Telescopes, viewing glasses, and Junior Ranger materials will be provided and no reservation is needed, organizers say.
• At Bell Works, there will be a viewing April 8 at 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Bell Works says on its website. It is located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel 07733. There will also be viewing on livestream indoors in the Atrium.

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

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