Rancho Mirage Observatory is hosting a viewing site to help people spot ‘Annular Solar Eclipse’ Saturday morning

Part of an Annular Solar Eclipse will be visible from the Coachella Valley this Saturday morning.

You can view it this Saturday at Rancho Mirage Community Park with the help of professional astronomer, Eric McLaughlin who works for the city's observatory.

"We actually get to see an alignment of heavenly bodies that actually shows just how the mechanics of our solar system work," said McLaughlin.

This Saturday the ‘Great American Eclipse’ will be partly visible here in the valley as it moves from Oregon to Texas. 

"The reaction of people when they see something like this, is generally one of, well, dramatic awe!" said McLaughlin.

And to help you get a better look, Mclaughlin will have a viewing station set up at the Rancho Mirage Community Park starting Saturday at 8 a.m.

"The basketball court here in the community park has a great view to the east and because the eclipse will be starting when the sun is only 15 degrees above the horizon, it gives us a whole opportunity to see the entirety of the eclipse without any obstructions," shared McLaughlin.

The eclipse is to set end around 11 a.m. but the best part of the partial eclipse will be right before 9:30 a.m.

Don't have any viewing gear of your own? No problem.

The Rancho Mirage Observatory will provide several telescopes with the appropriate safety filters and certified eclipse glasses for safe viewing.

If you plan on viewing the eclipse from the comfort of your home keep the following safety tips in mind.

"Never look at the sun directly and never look at the sun through a telescope without the appropriate filters. Again on the telescope you need a specially designed filter, you cannot use eclipse glasses through a telescope that is highly dangerous," share McLaughlin.

Also when purchasing eclipse glasses or a hand held solar viewer, make sure to look for an ISO seal that meets the safety standard recommended by NASA.