Extreme care must be taken when watching a partial or annular eclipse.
In either case, the remaining uneclipsed portion of the Sun is blindingly bright.
This is true even if the eclipse has a magnitude of 0.999.
There are several ways to Safely View An Eclipse.
Keep in mind that an eclipse is no more dangerous to view than the Sun is on any normal day.
Curiosity compels some people to stare directly at an eclipse and this can cause permanent eye damage.
Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or through any optical device
(e.g. - camera, binoculars or telescope) without using an appropriate filter.
Several types of solar filters are designed specifically for Sun viewing.
They are available from a number of filter manufacturers and distributors
as well as from telescope dealers.
You can also use the pinhole projection method to safely watch an eclipse.
During a total eclipse, the sky grows dramatically dark, bright stars and planets are visible and the Sun's glorious corona is revealed.
Even a 99.9% partial or annular eclipse can not compare to witnessing a total eclipse.
The only time it is entirely safe to look directly at the Sun without eye protection is during totality when the Sun is 100% completely eclipsed.
Please note that you must be inside the path of a total eclipse in order to see totality.
If you ever find yourself within driving distance of the path of a total eclipse, make every effort to be inside the path on eclipse day!
The Experience of Totality offers one of the grandest sights in all of Nature.
