Knoxville – Santa Claus may be in the skies on Christmas Eve, but on Christmas Day this year, scientists predict that a solar eclipse will be visible in the skies.
University of Tennessee astronomer Paul Lewis says that-s an uncommon event, which is about to get even more rare.
“The last time something like this happened on Christmas Day was 1954,” Paul Lewis said. “What makes this unique is that it won-t happen again until 2307, so there-ll be quite a span of time between now and the next time we see a solar eclipse on Christmas Day.”
The partial eclipse is expected to block approximately 48 percent of the solar disk by 12:30 p.m. ET Monday.
Lewis said the public is invited to observe the eclipse from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. from the roof of the Alvin H. Nielsen Physics Building, on the UT campus near Ayres Hall.