Best and safest ways to view rare partial solar eclipse

This Sunday, thousands are expected to turn their eyes to the sky to watch an annular solar eclipse known as the "ring of fire." 

Hawaii residents will see a partial solar eclipse, with the moon taking only a small chuck out of the sun.

Here’s the best and safest ways to see this rare event.

First things first, do not look directly at the sun.

You can damage your retina.

We’ll explore two ways to safely view two astronomical events. 

A partial solar eclipse this Sunday and Venuses transit across the sun Tuesday, June 5.

For Sunday’s partial solar eclipse, “Think it’s 2:03 pm is when it’s gonna start here,” said Larry “Astronut” Wiss.  “It goes through and the highest peak will be about 3:10 pm- 3:12pm and then about 4 o’clock will be the end for us here.”

Our first method is for indirect viewing. 

A cardboard box with a hole cut out and replaced with aluminum foil on one end and white paper taped at the other.

“Now you are gonna do the last modification which is to poke a hole through the aluminum,” said Wiss.  “Does it have to be perfectly circle? No it doesn’t have to be perfectly circle but the closer it is the better your image will be.”

“And what you now have you hold this up so that the sun is to your back and you can see the reflection of the sun inside your box,” said Wiss.

Simple enough and it works. 

Now for the direct viewing method.  

An eclipse viewer is safe for looking directly at the sun.

“And with these we can look directly at the sun. So just hold it in front of you eyes look a the sun…and you can see a perfectly round sun through the viewer,” said Wiss.