Solar eclipse, Perseid meteor shower to be visible today in Boston area. Here's how to watch.
A partial solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower will be visible on the same day in the Boston area today.
Unfortunately, this will not be a repeat of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. In fact, the path of totality does not cross anywhere in the United States this time around.
In order to get that special, tingly feeling of a total solar eclipse Wednesday, you will need to travel to Iceland, Greenland or Spain.
Solar eclipse today in Boston
Now, for a bit of good news: The northeastern United States will still get to see a partial solar eclipse Wednesday afternoon.
At its maximum, between 10% and 30% of the sun will be covered by the moon as seen from various locations in New England.
The greatest coverage will be across the state of Maine.
In Boston, the partial eclipse begins just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and ends just under two hours later at 2:46 p.m.
The maximum will occur at 1:55 p.m., when 16% of the sun will be obscured by the moon.
This is nowhere near close enough for you to notice that anything is going on unless you have special glasses to view the eclipse. You will not notice any changes in light/darkness.
If you want to take a peek, be sure to get the proper eyewear, glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 certification. You can easily find these online.
Perseid meteor shower
Later this evening, the yearly Perseid meteor shower arrives.
This is known as one of the best shows of the year with as many as 50 to 100 "shooting stars" per hour.
The moon will be in its new moon phase. This is ideal for meteor showers due to the lack of moonlight, which can wash out an otherwise good show.
As always, for ideal viewing, we recommend finding an area with a large view of the open sky, unobstructed by buildings or trees.
Also, find the darkest area possible, void of any artificial light.
Obviously, none of this matters if the weather doesn't cooperate.
Solar eclipse Boston weather forecast
Wednesday afternoon is expected to be partly to mostly sunny in the Boston area. There could be just a very light touch of wildfire haze.
There is a slight chance of an isolated, pop-up shower.
Therefore, we expect that most of you will be able to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m. Again, do not look directly at the sun (you wouldn't be able to see anything anyways). You will need the special glasses.
Perseid meteor shower Boston forecast
As for the meteor shower in the Boston area, we've got some things working in our favor and other against us.
The good news, a new moon means no moonlight to wash out the meteors.
The bad news, there is likely to be some partial cloudiness and a touch of smoke/haze from wildfires.
Therefore, we expect viewing to be decent but spotty.
You may need to give it a little extra time and wait for clouds to clear.
The best viewing will occur starting at 10 p.m. Wednesday and last through the pre-dawn hours of Thursday.
