A partial solar eclipse will occur this Thursday and skywatchers should be able to feast their eyes on the rare event for at least two hours.

The eclipse will reach its peak by 5:45 P.M. ET. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said the Moon will "clip" the Sun, making the Moon look a lot like a fingernail as it sets in the west.

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NASA also noted that people in the Central Time Zone will witness the eclipse perfectly. People in Hawaii or who live at the far northeast of the United States such as New England will probably miss out on the phenomenon.

The eclipse will last for over two hours. NASA did release some safety tips when watching the eclipse.

NASA notes that protecting the eyes is really important and stressed that people should not stare at the eclipse. The upcoming eclipse is just a partial one but just a glint of Sun peeking out from the Moon can still cause pain or damage a watcher's eyes. Direct viewing is possible if the watcher uses a safe solar filter.

Another is to use solar eclipse glasses specifically made for safe solar eclipse viewing. If this item isn't available, one can make an improvised filter. A piece of cardboard can be used. Punch a hole in the cardboard and peek through it as the surface of the cardboard will make the Sun's rays bounce.

Another is looking through a tree as the overlapping leaves can create innumerable pinhole sized holes.

If you don't get to watch this phenomenon, NASA says the next solar eclipse over North America will occur in the next three years. The next eclipse is expected to be a more dramatic and rarer eclipse.

TagsPartial Eclipse, fingernail, moon, Sun, Thursday, North America