Star of wonder, star of half-light

Science & Technology

Do you see what I see?

A star? Yes, in a manner of speaking: a partial eclipse of the sun.

And not just any partial eclipse. This will be the first to occur on Christmas Day in nearly half a century.

To mark the occasion, the Maryland Science Center will open its observatory doors (just the observatory, not the entire museum) on Christmas Day to any who are curious and who wish to observe safely this celestial phenomenon.

And in the spirit of Christmas, the Science Center isn't charging admission but instead asks that visitors bring a non-perishable food or clothing items to be donated to Baltimore's St. Michael's Community Outreach Center.

An eclipse of the sun takes place when the new moon is passing between the sun and the Earth. If the moon's shadow falls upon the Earth's surface, we see a portion of the sun obscured, or eclipsed.

The Crosby Ramsey Memorial Observatory will be open -- weather permitting -- from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to any who wish to observe the partial eclipse. The observatory's Alvan Clark telescope will be outfitted with filters so that onlookers may observe the eclipse without damaging their eyes. Science Center staff members, armed with extra safety glasses and smaller telescopes, will be on hand to answer questions.

In Baltimore, the partial eclipse will begin at 11:05 a.m. and will last 3 hours and 12 minutes. The height of the eclipse -- when a maximum of 54 percent of the sun's surface will be obscured -- will take place at 12:42 p.m.

The last time a partial solar eclipse was visible from Maryland was Feb. 26, 1998. The next time you'll be able to see one here will be Dec. 14, just before sunset.

If bad weather limits visibility this year, the Science Center will not open the observatory. A weather update will be posted by 7 p.m. at [phone]. The final determination about the viewing will be posted by 9 a.m. tomorrow.