Solar Eclipse Today in Hawaii

Image: James Grenz

Hawaiʻi will be the first state in the US to get a total solar eclipse since the last solar eclipse over Hawaii in 1991.

Having said that, the path of totality actually passes just south of Midway between the Hawaiian Islands and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. For the main Hawaiian Islands we will experience a partial solar eclipse since we aren’t directly on the path.

According to experts, this deep partial solar eclipse will occur at 4:33 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, 2016.

The Bishop Museum J. Watumull Planetarium reports that the moon will block an estimated 70% of the sun during the peak of the eclipse, which will occur at around 5:37 p.m. over the Hawaiian Islands.

Informational material published by Planetarium staff indicates that the event will start at 4:33 p.m. and end at 6:33 p.m. in Hawaiʻi. The eclipse is expected to end right around sunset statewide. Depending on where you are located, the sun may set before the eclipse ends since sunset times vary based on location.

Since the sun will be very low in the sky, you will need to have a clear view of the west horizon (the eclipse will start when the sun is just 14° above the horizon).

The information was posted on the planetarium’s website, and that includes a warning that it is never safe to view the sun without appropriate eye protection.  “If any part of the sun’s disc is still visible, there is the danger of permanent eye damage,” the site reports.

The event is also total over much of Indonesia, including the southern parts of both Borneo and Sumatra.