Here’s how to see the eclipse

SKYWATCHERS are in for a treat on the first day of spring as they will be able to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse.

Astronomy educator Claire Flanagan said South Africans could view the pan-African annular solar eclipse for about three hours tomorrow.

The rare sighting in Joburg will start at about 9.31am and end at 12.38pm, while the best sighting will be at 11.02am.

According to the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, Joburgers will experience a 50 percent eclipse.

The organisation says the eclipse is the moon passing between the Earth and the sun.

Instead of seeing the sun as a round disc, it will have a “bite” out of it.

“This ‘bite’ is the moon, and the size of the ‘bite’ changes as the moon slowly moves along,” it said on its website.

At first, only a tiny bit of the sun is eclipsed but then, as the moon moves along in its orbit, more of the sun is covered.

“Eventually, the moon moves away and the sun is completely uncovered again.”

Flanagan warned that viewing the eclipse must be done so safely as it could cause permanent, severe eye damage.

“Looking at the sun without proper eye protection damages the eyes,’’ she said.

She said safe ways to view the eclipse would be through a double layer of Five Roses teabag wrapper foil, although it could only be used for a few seconds.

Flanagan said the circular spots of light seen every day in the shade under leafy trees were images of the sun, and during the eclipse, these would turn into easily visible eclipse shapes.

The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa said one could take a selfie with the eclipse by standing under a tree and photographing these eclipsed images of the sun.

It said having writing on the surface a person was projecting onto would help the camera focus and that the flash would need to be turned off.