Osceola County is slated to experience today’s 175 minute solar eclipse from 1:19pm to 4:14 pm, with the peak being right at about 2:51pm and because of our Positively Osceola friends, Doreen and Lindsey Tierney, we have solar eclipse glasses. Unfortunately our order of solar eclipse glasses failed, so we petitioned our awesome Positively Osceola Facebook friends and heard back from Dorene Tierney! Thanks Dorene and Lindsey.

Those of you who pick your children up from school during that time period will be experiencing a much different “view” as the moon becomes more and more in between the earth and the sun.

As a reminder, special solar glasses are a must if you plan on checking out this amazing phenomena, as not doing so correctly can potentially lead to eye damage. The last time a similar solar eclipse took place was June, 8, 1919, so being able to view 85% of the sun blocked out is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The eclipse’s “path of totality,” or the place where 100 percent of the sun will be blocked, slices southeast through the U.S. from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Caroline, making these locations popular spots for people to travel to for optimum viewing.

We are calling for a 30% chance of rain in the hours leading up to the peak viewing, so with a bit of fortune the clouds will be minimal during the eclipse viewing time.

Lastly, holding your smart phone up for photos during the eclipse may damage the phone’s camera sensor, so if you have solar eclipse glasses – keep them on your face as you look up to protect your eyes… not your phone’s cam sensor.