Mary Alice Reporting –
Providing the clouds part, many Ohioans could catch a glimpse for the April 8th afternoon solar eclipse.
Some Ohio counties will be in the totality zone and others would see a partial viewing, but safety when looking up is key.
On this Monday, the moon will travel in the path between earth and the sun and eclipse glasses will be needed to view the event, which will see sunlight diminishing around 2pm, the start of the total eclipse is at 3:13pm and ending at 3:15pm. The end of the partial eclipse is by 4:30pm.
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff says it’s never a good idea to look directly at the sun, even when blocked.
“Even a quick change and a quick glimpse during that can cause immediate and permanent damage to your eyes. Ensure that any eclipse glasses have the approved safety standard is the ISO 12312-2.”
Vanderhoff adds that viewing a total or partial eclipse through sunglasses and camera lenses are not safe.
North of Cincinnati, Columbus, and Canton could be more congested with local and out of state viewers, so anyone traveling in that area is urged to drive with caution. Cell phone service may also experience outage with the increase in tourists.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reminds all drivers to not stop on the side of a road or exit ramp or try to view the event while operating a vehicle.
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