😎 How to see the solar eclipse around Boston

Happy Friday, Boston!

🏆 Love Boston Public Market? Okay, prove it! BPM is nominated for USA Today’s “best public market” reader’s choice award, so make sure to cast your vote here (it was in sixth place as of Thursday)! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The nor’easter’s final score

• This weekend’s MBTA shutdowns

• A lifetime of eclipses 

Up first…

SOLAR ECLIPSE

The moon’s solar photobomb

It’s Audrey II’s time to shine. Parts of New England will be treated to a total solar eclipse on Monday. So whether you’ve already booked your trip to Burlington, or you’re watching from the sidewalk, here’s what to know: 

🌒 Quick science lesson! A solar eclipse is when the moon moves between the sun and Earth (think of it as a lunar photobomb), blocking part of our view of the sun and creating a pretty sick visual. Solar eclipses happen every 18 months or so, but their visibility and effects depend on where you live. 

😎 And this time, parts of New England won the cosmic lottery. The reason everyone’s so hyped about this eclipse is that some northern parts of New England will be seeing a total solar eclipse, or 100% coverage of the sun (see the path of totality here). Astronomer or not, that’s a big deal. A total eclipse is a pretty mind-blowing scene: the sky turns fully dark, and viewers get an otherwise impossible view of the sun’s outer layer. The contiguous U.S. won’t see another one until 2044.

🌤️ Here in Boston, it’s not going to be quite as epic. From our view, we’ll be seeing a 93% eclipse. And though that doesn’t sound too far off, it doesn’t quite visually compare to a total eclipse (you won’t notice too much unless you wear eclipse glasses and look up). But that’s not to say it won't be cool. Here, the eclipse will take place between 2:16 p.m. and 4:39 p.m., with peak coverage at 3:29 p.m. And, as of right now, the skies are looking clear and perfect for viewing. 

 👀 Friendly reminder: Don’t look directly at the eclipse. It can cause major damage to your peepers, so to view it safely, you’ll need to wear special, ISO-certified eclipse glasses (and no, sunglasses won’t cut it). If you don’t have any yet, try your local library, or get a little crafty and make your own viewing device. Same goes for your phone or camera; don’t point them at the eclipse either without a special lens. 

🔭 If you’d rather not watch from your backyard … Hit up a free viewing party at the Chelsea Public Library, or the Brighton, Uphams Corner, and Mattapan branches of the BPL. Or for just $10, or you can watch it all go down from the top of the Pru at View Boston.

💻 And if you’re not able to get outside, you can watch the whole thing virtually here, no glasses required.

QUICK QUESTION

☀️ Are you planning on watching the eclipse? 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌨️ To anyone who had to commute yesterday: We salute you. Thankfully, this week’s nor'easter is now a mere memory, but not without wreaking some serious havoc across New England. Here in Boston, we saw 55 mph winds, more than a little flooding, and a whole lot of sleet, leading to some slick commutes and power outages across the state (around 9,700 customers were without power as of Thursday evening). Some parts of Mass. even got a few inches of snow, although that’s nothing compared to our northern neighbors who were quite literally snowed in, with hundreds of thousands losing power (see: the outside of Emily’s mom’s house in Maine).

🚇 Another weekend, another shutdown. Red and Orange Liners, by now, you know the drill. This weekend, shuttle buses will replace service from Broadway to Ashmont and from Broadway to North Quincy on the Red Line. Orange Liners: same, but from Forest Hills to Ruggles. And Silver Liners, remember that on Saturday night, routes one, two, and three are operating at the street level from 8 p.m. on. But in some good news: starting this weekend as a part of spring service changes, all T lines will see increased trip frequency!

📝 Boston’s City Council has been busy this week. A number of interesting issues to keep our eyes on have come up recently, including the possibility of creating an Office of the Inspector General, which would oversee and audit the city government; reducing the citywide speed limit from 25 to 20 mph in the face of two fatal accidents involving pedestrians; and a small but vocal opposition to Mayor Michelle Wu’s recent proposal to raise commercial property taxes in order to keep residential ones in check. Watch these spaces!

🌭 PSA: You can visit Fenway for free this weekend! The Red Sox, in partnership with the City of Boston, will open Fenway Park to the public for a free open house on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During that time, fans will be able to get access to usually off-limits areas like the warning track and the dugouts, plus tour the clubhouses, and get some autographs from Red Sox alumni. Wally and Tessie will also be there for photo-ops, along with the four World Series Trophies. Here’s how to enter the park for the event.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🥑 Get your guac fill. $10 for a boatload of guacamole? Chipotle could never. You can taste an array of locals’ guac recipes at The Painted Burro’s annual “Guac Off” in Somerville on Sunday. 

🥦 Blaze Saturday night away. Jacques’ Cabaret is turning into a Cannabis Cabaret for the evening, filled with drag, comedy, games, and a “high”-atus. Outside food is allowed, so BYOMunchies!

🤠 Grab your cowboy hats and boots. Winter Hill Brewing is celebrating their eighth b-day with a literal hoedown, complete with special beer releases, live music, and mechanical bull rides (!). 

😂 Hit Bow Market for a weekend of laughs. Their comedy festival is in full swing, and you can hit up a range of shows covering everything from silly sketches to a standup showcase.

🪡 Hop on the embroidery bandwagon. Vico Style in Beacon Hill is hosting a spring hand-embroidery workshop Sunday where you’ll learn all the stitching ins and outs, and get to take your masterpiece home. 

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock four bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

ONE LAST THING

A lifetime of total eclipses 

For one Vermonter, the upcoming total eclipse is a twice in a lifetime experience. 

Marguerite Smyrski watched her first total solar eclipse in Derby, Vermont. at eight years old — in 1932. Now, at 100 years old, she’s looking forward to watching another one from the path of totality. 

Of course, things won’t be exactly the same this time around. According to the Globe, Smyrski doesn’t remember much about her first eclipse, but she does remember that her family, who didn’t have access to special glasses, viewed it through blackened glass they burned themselves (a practice that is awesome, but we cannot endorse).

This time around, she plans to savor the moment a little more. And thankfully, her daughter got her proper glasses this time. You can read more about Smyrski here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🌚 Thanks for reading! Admittedly, I felt “neutral” about the eclipse mere days ago, but after watching this eclipse simulator, I literally can’t stop thinking about it.

🕺 The results are in: Our nightlife madness final four has been cemented, with Bell in Hand and Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club joining Club Cafe and Lansdowne Pub. One reader, who voted another way, said: “Can't vote for Bell in Hand -- they kicked me out.”

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].