Hundreds of miles from the path of totality, this part of Northern California will experience an eclipse in which about 75 percent (around the bay) to 84 percent (around Clear Lake) of the sun is obscured.
How will that look?
First, it won’t be much darker. If Monday is clear, the light at the height of the eclipse might be similar to that of an overcast day, perhaps a bit darker.
But that doesn’t mean everything will look normal. Astronomers and others who have experienced eclipses of about 75 percent coverage report these phenomena:
Odd quality to the light.
The light will look different — “deader” or “thinner,” some people describe it. In an online discussion on Cosmoquest.org (a NASA-supported citizen science website), one observer said that 75 to 80 percent is “the point where something strikes an unprepared observer as strange.” Another agreed, describing the look as “an underexposed photo, or like the brightness knob had been turned down. … It looked that way for at least a couple of minutes.”
Sharper shadows.
Because the source of sunlight is squeezed to a smaller area, shadows get very crisp. You might even be able to see individual hairs.
Clusters of crescent-shaped shadows.
In the shadows cast by leafy trees, you’ll see hundreds of little images of the partially obscured sun. Basically, the little openings in the vegetation act as pinhole camera apertures.
Venus in the daytime.
In the area of totality, planets and bright stars will be visible, and possibly the brightest will be detectable in the Bay Area. Astronomer Kevin D. Conod told the website NJ.com that in New Jersey — about 75 percent coverage on Monday — skywatchers should be able to spot Venus. It will be west of the sun, in the south-southwest sky.
A cloudy morning could make the eclipse experience much less memorable. The partial solar eclipse of May 1994 — 60 percent coverage in the Bay Area — was underwhelming as skies remained overcast at its 9 a.m. peak.
The forecast for Monday, though, calls for clear skies in Northern California.
Obligatory warning: Do not look at the sun without eclipse glasses or other suitable eye protection. It can cause permanent damage to your eyes.
