LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- We're only a few days away from the solar eclipse, and we’re breaking down the best times and places to see the eclipse in Southwest Florida.
It's being billed as an awe-inspiring once-in-a-lifetime event. But to catch the moment when the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking it from our view, you have to look up at exactly the right time.
We're talking to the minute.
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In general terms, in Southwest Florida we'll see 78-80% of the sun covered up if you look between 2:52pm and 2:54pm Monday. People in the northern counties will see it first.
In Punta Gorda, the moon will begin blocking the sun at 1:20, then at 2:52 hit maximum coverage at 78%, and it will move on totally by 4:16.
It's the same times for Arcadia, but people there will see the most coverage in our area: 80% at exactly 2:52.
The closer you move to the coast, the less coverage you'll see.
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Fort Myers will hit 78% coverage at 2:53, and to the west in Cape Coral, it's 77%. In both places, the eclipse will be over at 4:16.
Collier County will see it a few minutes later. The eclipse will start at 1:22 in Naples, then hit max coverage at 2:54, before moving out at 4:17.
All of this sounds great, but it doesn't mean anything if the weather doesn't cooperate. Fox 4 forecaster Dani Beckstrom says it's a little early to tell you our exact conditions, but currently it looks like fair conditions, so a mix of sun and clouds. "It's what we see every afternoon; a little sunshine, a couple of those passing storms…so hopefully those storms will pass in time to see the eclipse."
So to see it, you'll need some luck, you'll need to be in the right place at the right time, and you have to have eclipse glasses. NASA says special-purpose solar filters, like eclipse glasses, are the only way to safely look at the eclipsed sun.
Unfortunately, libraries in Lee and Collier counties tell Fox 4 that they are all out and will not be getting any more solar eclipse glasses.
The American Astronomical Society has a list of reputable places that sell certified solar lenses here.
For more eclipse information, from safety tips to what our schools are doing to protect students, go to fox4now.com/eclipse.
