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Catch total-eclipse coverage on TV, online

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A total solar eclipse in Belitung, Indonesia. A solar eclipse on Monday is set to star in several special broadcasts on TV and online. Outlets are planning extended coverage of the first solar eclipse visible across the United States in 99 years.

America is raring for “The Great American Eclipse” on Monday, when the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun and revealing its outer atmosphere, or corona.

The eclipse will begin in the Pacific Ocean and travel through the center of the United States, ending in the Atlantic, with totality visible in parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Hawaii, which experienced a total eclipse in 1991 and will see its next in 2106, will have to settle for a partial version.

For Oahu, the sun will rise in partial eclipse at 6:20 a.m. Monday, with about one-third of the sun’s disk blocked by the moon, according to the Bishop Museum’s J. Watumull Planetarium. The maximum partial eclipse will be at 6:35 a.m.

For the next hour, with a clear eastern horizon, viewers will see the moon slowly uncover the sun. By 7:25 a.m., it will be over. Touchdown on the Oregon coast is at approximately 10:15 a.m. local time, or 7:15 a.m. in Hawaii.

Experts advise that looking at a partial eclipse, even briefly, without proper protection could lead to solar retinopathy, or damage to the retina. Do not use sunglasses, smoked glass, photographic film or other improvised viewers because they are not protective enough, or binoculars because they will magnify the sun’s rays.

The safest way to watch the eclipse is online or on TV:

>> “Eclipse of the Century”: CNN plans two hours of livestreaming, 360-degree coverage accessible in virtual reality through Oculus headsets beginning at 7 a.m. Accompanying television coverage will include reporting from Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina.

>> “Eclipse Over America”: The PBS science series “Nova” is planning a quick turnaround on its eclipse documentary premiering at 9 p.m. Monday. Senior executive producer Paula S. Apsell said “Eclipse Over America,” which delves into why eclipses occur and what scientists can learn from them, will incorporate images of the event from across the country shot earlier that day with high-tech cameras.

>> “Great American Eclipse”: The Science Channel will broadcast its live coverage from Madras, Ore., from 6 to 8 a.m., with commentary from educators and astronomers from the Lowell Observatory. Discovery will go live from Oregon at 7:17 a.m.

>> “The Great American Eclipse”: David Muir will anchor ABC’s two hours of live coverage starting at 7 a.m., with correspondents reporting from viewing parties across the country. NBC also plans live coverage, with Lester Holt hosting special reports at 7 and 8 a.m. featuring correspondents reporting from Oregon, Illinois, Wyoming and South Carolina. Shepard Smith will break into typical broadcasting on Fox News Channel from 6 to 10 a.m. to update viewers on the eclipse and introduce footage from NASA and observatories around the country.

>> “Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA”: NASA will offer hours of coverage online and on NASA Television beginning at 6 a.m. It plans livestreaming of the eclipse beginning at 7 a.m. with images from satellites, research aircraft, high-altitude balloons and specially modified telescopes.

>> “The Total Solar Eclipse”: The Weather Channel is kicking off its live coverage at midnight and continuing throughout Monday with dispatches from seven locations along the “path of totality.”

>> YouTube: University of Hawaii-Hilo instructor John Hamilton and lecturer Marc Roberts will broadcast the eclipse on youtube.com from the Lost River Field Station near Mackay, Idaho, an official NASA viewing site.

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