JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Get ready for a spectacular sight Saturday! A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the First Coast. If you want to see the eclipse up close through a telescope, you can attend a watch party at two local universities.
The University of North Florida Physics Department and Astronomy Club will host a free and family-friend viewing of the partial solar eclipse from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the UNF Green (adjacent to the Fine Arts Center).
A limited quantity of safe solar viewing glasses will be available, but participants are encouraged to bring their own glasses.
Participants will be able to view the eclipse through solar-safe glasses and telescopes, build safe solar viewers out of provided materials, photograph the eclipse with a chance of submitting it to the UNF Physics Photo Contest, learn fun facts about the sun and eclipses, and make eclipse art inspired by the UNF sundial.
Knowledgeable students and faculty will be available to guide viewers through the event and answer questions.
Parking is available in the Fine Arts Center Garage, Building 44, for free on Saturdays, and other parking options include Lot 1, the surface lot surrounding Parking Garage 44, and Lot 2, in front of the Carpenter Library, Building 12.
UNF isn't the only university offering a solar eclipse event for Jacksonville residents.
The Northeast Florida Astronomical Society and Jacksonville University Society of Physics Students will host a telescope viewing. This will be located at Jacksonville University Amphitheater.
For information such as timing, what the First Coast can expect to see, solar-filtered viewing safety, Saturday's forecast, and where the annular eclipse can be seen, click here.