There is a partial solar eclipse over the Hawaiian Islands on Thursday May 9, from 2:23 – 5:01 p.m.  This provides an overview of the event and also gives guidance on safe and unsafe viewing techniques.

Hawai‘i is only US state to see May 9 partial solar eclipse!

On Thursday, May 9, Hawaii will be the only state to see the first solar eclipse of 2013. At the peak of the eclipse, at 3:48 p.m., a viewer using a safe filter will see 44 per cent of the sun blocked by the moon. As seen from Honolulu, the eclipse on May 9 will start at 2:23 p.m. as the moon starts to slide across the solar disk. The “bite” will get bigger and bigger till the peak at 3:48 p.m., with well over a third of the sun blocked by the moon. After that, the moon will slowly uncover the sun, the ‘bite’ will get smaller and smaller, and the partial eclipse will end at 5:01 p.m.

These timings will vary a little elsewhere in the islands; in Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i, for example, the eclipse stars at 2:20 p.m. and ends at 4:58 p.m. The eclipse starts in Hilo at 2:25 pm and is over at 5:04 p.m. Long story short: if you start looking by 2:19 p.m. anywhere in the islands you should be in good shape to catch the start of the eclipse.

Warning: Improper viewing of a partial solar eclipse can cause severe and permanent eye damage.  Learn to use a safe viewing technique!

The retina of your eye cannot feel pain, so you will not notice damage being done to your vision until it is too late.  “Homegrown” filters may seem to provide an image that does not look too bright in visible light and therefore are tempting to use.  However, almost all of these homegrown filters allow too much ultraviolet and infrared light to pass through.  Too much infrared light will act like an infrared heat lamp and can “cook” the retina of your inner eye quickly.  Too much ultraviolet light and the corona of your eye can cloud over.

UNSAFE VIEWING TECHNIQUES
UNSAFE: Smoked glass, no matter how dark.
UNSAFE: Exposed color film, no matter how many layers
UNSAFE: Multiple pairs of sunglasses.
UNSAFE: Looking at the sun with the naked eye, even through layers of clouds.
UNSAFE: Looking through the viewfinder of a camera that does not have a special reflective filter.
UNSAFE: Looking through any telescope or binoculars without professional solar filters on the front of the optics.  (Note: many small telescopes are sold with solar filters that screw into the eyepiece at the back of the camera.  These are potentially hazardous because the heat build-up inside the telescope can cause the filter to crack, resulting in the full, unfiltered light of the sun reaching your eye.  This can cause instant eye damage.)

There are several safe viewing techniques which allow anyone to experience the excitement of watching the sun as it is eclipsed by the moon.  These techniques can also be used on any clear day to see sunspots on the sun.
These safe viewing methods include direct viewing through special solar filters and indirect solar projection.

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/eclipse.html#.UYwIFSvwKXN