'Ring Of Fire' Solar Eclipse Set For Sunrise Thursday; Experts Looking Forward To 'A Show In The Sky'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thursday morning could be the sunrise of our lifetime.
At 5:24 a.m., the sun will rise as a partial eclipse.
"It's a show in the sky," Jackie Faherty told CBS2. "A partial eclipse is so dramatic. You have to look at it safely, but when you do, it looks like the Death Star moving across the sun."
A sunrise eclipse like this has only happened twice since the 1800s. This one is an annular eclipse, meaning the moon is not quite big enough to cover the sun completely.
Web Extra: When, Where And How To Safely View The Eclipse
"Grab a nickel and a penny ... Cover up that nickel with the penny. You won't be able to do so," said Joe Rao, from the Hayden Planetarium. "The sun will come up looking like a sickle or a slice of cantaloupe melon, if you will."
WATCH: Hayden Planetarium Associate Astronomer Joe Rao Discusses Solar Eclipse --
We will get a decent view, but Canada will get the best. They'll see the moon covering nearly all of the sun, except the outer edge.
If the weather cooperates, our area will get a great show, with 80% of the sun covered by the moon -- more than we saw in 2017.
So let's talk about viewing the sunrise eclipse. We have all seen countless sunrises without special glasses, but the difference is we don't typically stare at a sunrise for a long period of time.
If you're going to watch all of the sunrise eclipse, be safe and wear the special glasses. If you don't have the glasses, watch for only 10-15 seconds and look away.
"When you're staring at that, the sun is low and you're looking through a lot of atmosphere. That atmosphere is what's protecting you and why it's easier to look at the sun. But there's still harmful radiation coming from the sun and impacting your eyes," Faherty said.
If you miss the epic shot, our next sunrise eclipse will be in 2079 -- 58 years from now.
- HOW TO VIEW AN ECLIPSE SAFELY
- HOW TO VIEW THE SUN SAFELY
- To watch a live stream of the eclipse, click here or here.
- For an eclipse simulator, showing what you can expect to see and when from where you are, click here.
- More information about the eclipse, and sources to purchase safe eyewear for viewing, click here.
- The Empire State Building is selling a limited number of tickets to observe the eclipse. For more information, click here.
Watch CBS2's special coverage of the sunrise eclipse starting at 5 a.m. Thursday.
