WACO, Texas — Waco skies will get a little treat on Oct. 14 as an annular solar eclipse will be visible for about four minutes.
"Eclipses are not as common because the orbit of the moon around the earth is not as perfect aligned with the orbit of the earth around the sun," said Assistant Professor of Physics at Baylor Univserity Barbara Castanheira-Endl said.
"Just a little angle, five percent. Just enough to miss an eclipse every month."
An annular eclipse takes place when the moon covers the sun during the day, but not completely. A small ring is still visible around the edges.
"It is a great experience, a beautiful phenomenon," Castanheria-Endl said.
"Nature gets very confused because it doesn't know what's happening. It gets dark in the middle of the day. Cicadas will start, babies will cry."
As exciting and beautiful as it is, it can also be dangerous if you're not taking the proper precautions to view it.
"Long exposure to the sun alone can cause blindness," Dr. Kumar Patel, a local optometrist, told 25 News. "The eclipse is whole other level of causing blindness."
According to Dr. Patel, everyone who plans to look at the eclipse will need a special pair of glasses.
They are not regular sunglasses, these special eclipse glasses are iso certified and protect your eyes from harmful rays.
"Just like a magnifying lens we use as a kid, making a point with the sun rays, that's exactly how the eclipse occurs inside the eye itself," he said.
"If they look at the eclipse without the proper safety glasses, they're going to permanently burn their retina to the point they're not going to be able to see anymore."
It can also be damaging if you're trying to take pictures or videos without the proper filters.
"If you use a camera, do not look through the optical view finder. This can cause as much damage as looking directly at it," Dr. Patel said.
