Colleges and science centers across California, including UC Irvine, Cal State Los Angeles and the California Science Center are hosting eclipse viewing parties.

The California Science Center provided paper and plastic protective glasses and materials to make pinhole cameras to view the eclipse safely. Tables with educational brochures and eclipse paraphernalia lined the sidewalks.

As the solar eclipse reached its peak, Dani Ortuño Gudiño, a photographer working on his master’s degree in media studies, lay on his back on the ground outside the Science Center. He held a pair of paper eclipse glasses up to the lens of his camera, a Sony Alpha 73. The result was a crisp, stunning photo of the moon overlapping with the sun. The visible part of the sun was in a crescent shape overhead.

Nearby Dalton Cantor, 16, held his glasses against his face as he gazed up at the sky.

“My family and I decided to come here to experience something unique,” he said. “It’s powerful. It pauses everything you’re going through.”

Cantor lives near the Science Center and used to visit nearly every weekend when he was younger. He was excited to be there Monday with his mother and grandmother.

“It’s a rare opportunity,” said his grandmother, Ana Rodriguez. “We couldn’t miss it.”

Adequate eye protection is a must to view the eclipse directly.

People should obtain eclipse glasses or handheld sun filters, but take caution to buy them from reputable retailers and inspect them for any damage prior to viewing the eclipse. The glasses should comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, according to NASA.

People without protection can still view the eclipse indirectly through a homemade pinhole projector. And even if you do have eye protection, experts say, you shouldn’t gaze at the sun for more than a few moments at a time.

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