South Carolina will see an eclipse this August. Here’s how to safely watch it

Columbia’s darkest day is coming this summer, and the city and surrounding areas couldn’t be more excited.

That’s because people in Columbia on Aug. 21 will be among a small percentage of the U.S. population to witness a rare total solar eclipse. Our geographic good fortune puts us in a narrow “path of totality” that begins in Oregon and ends in South Carolina. Columbia has the longest total eclipse for a metro area on the East Coast.

At 2:41 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, Columbia will get 2 minutes and 36 seconds of darkness – more than any other S.C. city.

In Columbia, the partial eclipse will begin at 1:13 p.m. When the total eclipse ends at 2:44 p.m., a partial eclipse will resume until 4:06 p.m.

RELATED: A sampling of eclipse watch events in and around Columbia

Of course, you’ll want to see it – but you must do it safely. From NASA:

▪ It is never safe to look directly at the sun's rays – even if the sun is partly obscured.

▪ When watching a partial eclipse you must wear eclipse glasses at all times if you want to face the sun, or use an alternate indirect method. This also applies during a total eclipse up until the time when the sun is completely and totally blocked.

This story was originally published July 2, 2017 at 1:14 PM with the headline "South Carolina will see an eclipse this August. Here’s how to safely watch it."