Connect with us

Science

March 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse: Where and How to Watch

Published

on

March 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse: Where and How to Watch

Another eclipse is upon us.

On Saturday, the moon will cast its shadow on Earth’s surface, a phenomenon that people in parts of the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia and Africa will get to experience as a partial solar eclipse. It is only partially as impressive as the total solar eclipse that cut across the United States last year, but it is an opportunity to take a break from worldly matters and witness our place in the solar system.

During the eclipse, the moon will appear to take a bite out of the sun, but how much varies by location. And clouds can spoil the view.

The surface of the sun will never be fully obscured during this event, so it is never safe to look at the partial solar eclipse without protective eye gear.

People in the regions where the partial solar eclipse is visible will experience it differently. How much of the sun will be covered, and what time it happens, depends on location. You’ll also need to check your local weather report for clear or cloudy conditions.

Advertisement

NASA has published a list of eclipse times in several big cities here.

In North America, the event begins early in the morning around sunrise, and for most, the sun will already be partially eclipsed when it emerges.

Saturday’s eclipse will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere in a region that includes both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike a total eclipse, it affects the sun in a broad region and has less of a clear path.

In the United States, viewers along the coast in the Northeast will see the greatest eclipse. Those in Boston, for instance, will see 43 percent of the solar surface covered at 6:38 a.m. Eastern. In New York City, the sun will be only 22 percent eclipsed, at 6:46 a.m. People as far south as Washington, D.C., will experience a 1 percent eclipse at 6:59 a.m.

The most obstructed sun will occur much farther north. People in northern Quebec, Nunavut and much of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada will witness over 90 percent of the sun covered by the moon.

Advertisement

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, people in northern and western Europe, as well as on the northwestern coast of Africa, will see the solar eclipse reach its maximum during late morning or early afternoon. In northern Russia, the eclipse will occur later in the afternoon, and in some places closer to sunset.

The eclipse can last more than an hour in places like Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the moon slowly glides over 83 percent of the sun, reaches a maximum point and then recedes. But in Buffalo, where the eclipse will reach a maximum of 2 percent, it will last only seven minutes.

The Mid Atlantic is likely to offer the best chance at viewing the eclipse in the United States. There may be breaks in the clouds across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

To the north cloudy skies are likely to obstruct views of the solar eclipse in places such as Boston. Gray weather is also expected in eastern Canada.

“There’s going to be a lot of cloud cover,” in the Northeast, said Richard Bann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

Advertisement

People in parts of Europe and Africa could have better luck. Paris, France, and Madrid, Spain, may be good places to take in the eclipse with clear skies expected over parts of western Europe. Another option is Casablanca, Morocco, as sunny weather is projected in northwestern Africa.

But it will be a wet day across much of England on Saturday, and cloud cover is likely over northern Europe.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon slides between Earth and the sun, shielding all or part of the solar surface from our view.

The most dramatic version of this is a total solar eclipse, when the entire sun is covered and its outer atmosphere, or corona, is visible for a few minutes at the height of the event. This is known as totality.

By contrast, only a chunk of the sun will be obscured on Saturday, in what is known as a partial solar eclipse. This happens when the Earth, moon and sun are imperfectly aligned. Unlike totality, the sky won’t darken enough during a partial solar eclipse for you to see stars or planets in the daytime, and animals are not likely to react as strongly.

Advertisement

Eclipses come in pairs, two weeks apart — the amount of time it takes for the moon to swing around to the other side of Earth. Stargazers recently saw the moon blush red during a total lunar eclipse earlier this month.

Staring at the sun, even for a few seconds, can permanently damage your eyes. Because there are no pain receptors in the retina, you won’t feel it while it’s happening.

The same is true during a partial solar eclipse. But there are several ways to protect your eyes and still see the event. If you saved your paper glasses from last year’s total solar eclipse, you can use them again, as long as they aren’t torn, scratched or otherwise damaged.

Beware of counterfeit eclipse glasses and solar viewers. A list of reliable suppliers, compiled by the American Astronomical Society, can be found here.

If it’s too late to find eclipse glasses, you can safely watch a projection onto the ground using items around the house. Options include fashioning an eclipse viewer from cardstock or a cardboard box. You can also use a kitchen strainer, a straw hat or even your own fingers.

Advertisement

According to NASA, another partial solar eclipse will happen on Sept. 21, best viewed in Australia. A total solar eclipse will occur in summer 2026, visible in upper parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

If that’s too long to wait, two total lunar eclipses are also coming, one in September and another next March. Unlike total solar eclipses, which are visible only along a narrow path on Earth’s surface, total lunar eclipses can be seen by mostly anyone on the night side of the planet.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Science

An L.A. Doctor’s House Burned. Now He Treats the Fires’ Effects in Neighbors.

Published

on

An L.A. Doctor’s House Burned. Now He Treats the Fires’ Effects in Neighbors.

Another long-term concern is pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease in which scarring thickens and hardens lung tissue, making it difficult for oxygen to move into the bloodstream. Dr. Elsayegh describes a lung with pulmonary fibrosis as “a stiff balloon from the party store” — your face flushes as you try to force air inside, but it simply refuses to inflate.

As a former Palisades resident intent on returning to the neighborhood, Dr. Elsayegh is also doubling as a trusted confidant, drawing on his personal experience to help his patients face uncertainties and find solutions — or next steps, at least.

“In an ideal world, I would go in there and say, ‘Everyone that lives in the Palisades and in L.A. County, let’s all move. Let’s all go somewhere else and we don’t have to worry about this,’ ” he said. “That’s not reality. I’m trying to find this unbelievably difficult balance of helping us return to normalcy or return to our life, but doing it as safely as possible.”


In early February, Dr. Elsayegh pulled up a chair next to Dana Michels, a cybersecurity lawyer and healthy mother of three who had gone to check the damage at her house and now could not shake a cough.

“Sweetheart, you’re not moving air at all,” Dr. Elsayegh said, listening to her lungs through a stethoscope and quickly ordering a breathing test and a nebulizer, to start. A pulmonary student asked to take a listen, then glanced up at Dr. Elsayegh, looking confused.

Advertisement

“I’m not hearing anything,” the student said. Dr. Elsayegh gave a single nod.

After years of renting, Ms. Michels and her husband got their first mortgage almost four years ago; it was a family milestone. Now, with their Palisades home smoked through, the family is split between two rental apartments in Marina del Rey — one for boys, one for girls — and they are navigating a new school, new insurance paperwork and new prescriptions to manage the wheezing.

Continue Reading

Science

Face to Face With an Alligator? Here’s What to Do

Published

on

Face to Face With an Alligator? Here’s What to Do

An 11-foot alligator that tipped over a canoe and killed a woman in Central Florida on May 6 served as a reminder that, while alligator attacks on humans are “extremely rare,” as a state wildlife official said, they do happen, sometimes with fatal results.

“This serves as a somber reminder of the powerful wildlife that share our natural spaces,” said Roger Young, the executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida had an average of eight unprovoked alligator bites a year over the 10-year period that ended in 2022, according to the commission. Many of them were serious enough to require medical attention.

The commission has been urging people to exercise caution in or near the water during alligator mating season, which runs from early April to June. The risk of an attack is higher, it said, because alligators tend to be more aggressive, active and visible during this time.

The agency and other wildlife commissions offered these tips for avoiding or staying safe around the reptiles, which can grow up to 15 feet long.

Advertisement

Alligators can be found from central Texas eastward to North Carolina, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Louisiana and Florida have the largest populations — more than one million each. Georgia has 200,000 to 250,000 alligators and South Carolina is home to about 100,000.

Morgan Hart, the alligator project leader for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, believes alligator attacks have increased in the state over the years because of “the sheer growth in human population in the coastal plain of South Carolina.”

When new housing developments are built, artificial lakes are often created with them and then quickly inhabited by alligators.

If you encounter an alligator on land, “you can simply back away from it,” Ms. Hart said.

Advertisement

“Alligators will also hiss if they feel someone is too close and they can’t get away,” she said.

People should be wary of any alligator that approaches, she said, as it may be a sign that it has been fed and associates humans with food.

Humans should also keep at least 30 feet from alligators at all times, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

“They rarely chase people, but they can outrun or outswim the fastest person for the first 30 feet,” the agency said, noting that alligators can sprint up to 35 miles per hour for short distances on land.

Alligators prefer to pursue prey they can easily overpower.

Advertisement

“Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey,” said Lauren Claerbout, a spokeswoman for the Florida wildlife commission.

People should keep their pets on a leash and under control, and not allow them to swim or exercise in canals, ponds or lakes that may have alligators.

“The sound of dogs barking and playing may draw an alligator to the area,” the Florida wildlife commission said.

Wildlife agencies suggest that people swim only in designated areas during daylight hours, and without a pet.

“Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn,” Ms. Claerbout said.

Advertisement

If you encounter an alligator in the water, remain calm and do not approach it, according to the Florida wildlife commission.

It is illegal, and dangerous, to feed alligators in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas (except during that state’s hunting season).

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said that people should not throw fish scraps into the water or feed other wildlife in areas where alligators congregate.

“As long as people don’t feed them,” said Donald Houser, the general manager at Gator Park, which is just south of Miami and features shows with alligators. He added that an alligator loses its fear of humans after three days of a person feeding it.

“Just stay away from it, basically,” he said.

Advertisement

You should fight back against an alligator only if it gets hold of you, officials said.

“In that case, aim for its eyes, nose or throat, which are its most sensitive areas,” according to Everglades National Park in South Florida, adding that people should “hit, kick, or jab with as much strength as you can muster to try and force the gator to release its grip.”

Still, if you are grasped in an alligator’s jaws, there is a slim chance that you would be able to escape, Mr. Houser said.

“You better have someone close that knows what they are doing,” he said.

“Alligators don’t eat people,” he said, but they may bite someone and then spit the person out. By then, it may have held the person under water too long, he said, “and it may be too late.”

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Science

Facing self-imposed budget cuts, Republicans in Congress mull the future of Medicaid

Published

on

Facing self-imposed budget cuts, Republicans in Congress mull the future of Medicaid

Congress is forging ahead with its budget for next year, but the most controversial program on the chopping block — Medicaid — is causing a rift within the Republican Party.

Earlier this year, Congress passed a budget blueprint that contains billions of dollars in cuts to federal spending, which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) promised did not touch Medicaid. But as lawmakers hammer out the details of the spending plan, changes to the popular government-funded healthcare program are looming.

Republicans are scrambling to find creative ways to fulfill budget cuts they voted on without gutting Medicaid, a politically risky move that would endanger healthcare for more than 71 million people nationwide and lead to cascading effects for hospitals and nursing homes.

So far, the options being floated — ramping up eligibility and work requirements and limiting access for immigrants — would have a drastic effect on Medicaid, even as Republicans brand their vision as tackling “waste, fraud and abuse,” a popular line used by Trump administration officials who are downsizing federal government departments and programs.

The GOP is “strengthening Medicaid for people who need it by eliminating things like fraud, waste and abuse, which is a huge problem in the program, including removing illegal aliens,” Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday.

Advertisement

Other options that lawmakers have considered involve drastically cutting how much money the federal government gives to states that expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. If the minimum threshold were eliminated, California could lose as much as $156.5 billion in federal funding for the program over the next 10 years, according to an analysis by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“States can’t really raise that kind of revenue in general,” said Kathy Hempstead, senior policy officer at the foundation. “What states will do is maybe raise some revenue, but they’d have to start cutting services.”

Johnson indicated Tuesday that he’d moved away from that consideration.

Still, advocates warn that other options clamping down on eligibility will inadvertently disadvantage millions of people who qualify for the program.

The budget Congress passed included an order for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which governs spending on Medicaid, to slash $880 billion over 10 years. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that level of reduction is possible only by cutting into Medicaid.

Advertisement

In a letter to committee leaders Wednesday, the CBO outlined how federal changes to Medicaid would result in a shrinking of the program.

It anticipates that states would spend more themselves on Medicaid, reduce payment rates to healthcare providers, limit optional benefits and reduce enrollment.

Last week, the committee postponed a planned meeting on the bill over continued disagreements among its members. Matt Herdman, state director for Protect Our Care California, saw the delay as a partial win.

“They’ve clearly noticed they have a huge problem on their hands. They have a ton of vulnerable members,” Herdman said. “They would not have pushed this back if they thought this was a done deal.”

But Johnson dismissed the idea that the postponement was “a snag,” saying that after meeting with President Trump over the weekend and reviewing numbers, they decided “it just made sense for us to press pause for a week … to get it right.” The speaker said he is still aiming to pass the budget by Memorial Day.

Advertisement

In the meantime, Johnson is wrangling members from the far-right flank of the party, who support defunding and reforming Medicaid, and other Republicans, who are beseeching party leaders to avoid forcing them to vote for the cuts.

Twelve members who represent districts with high Medicaid populations — including California Reps. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) — sent a letter to House leaders last month, warning that a vote to cut Medicaid would jeopardize their hard-won districts in future elections.

“We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,” the letter read, adding that the lawmakers support reforming the program. It concluded: “Communities like ours won us the majority, and we have a responsibility to deliver on the promises we made.”

Valadao told Politico that he texts and meets with his colleagues in Congress regularly, working on alternative solutions. Valadao has serious motivation to save the program — he represents the California district with the highest percentage of Medicaid recipients, and he lost his congressional seat after voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

His office declined an interview for this article.

Advertisement

Protests to preserve Medicaid have been sweeping the nation for weeks. The Service Employees International Union, home to many care workers in the U.S., organized several demonstrations outside Republican congressional offices in recent weeks, including Kim’s.

“I’m seeing unbelievable energy about this,” Herdman said. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite as large in person since the pandemic on a legislative issue.”

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, told reporters Tuesday that she’s been hearing from constituents in her district who rely on Medicaid to sustain their healthcare.

“Medicaid is a lifeline. It keeps children healthy, it helps parents work and it cares for seniors in nursing homes,” Dingell said. “The American people cannot afford Medicaid cuts, especially as the economy is being crashed around them by President Trump.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending