Where to watch the solar eclipse in San Diego

• The best time to see it locally will be at its peak at 9:26am, per NASA.
• It's the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from the U.S. until 2039.

Be smart: Get a pair of glasses to safely view the eclipse or make a pinhole projector.

Where to see it: View the partial solar eclipse at home or at the Fleet Science Center's viewing party in Balboa Park.

• The event starts at 8am with family space activities, an astronomer and free NASA 3-D eclipse glasses.
• San Diego public libraries in Linda Vista and Mission Hills/Hillcrest are also hosting events and all branches are handing out free viewing glasses.

Details: An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth, per NASA.

• Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and doesn't completely cover it.

• This causes the Moon to appear as a "dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk," creating the "ring of fire" effect, NASA said.

Yes, but: A partial solar eclipse, which San Diegans will see, happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth,but the three don't perfectly line up.

• With a partial eclipse, only a part of the Sun will appear to be covered, which gives it a crescent shape.

Flashback: The last annular solar eclipse crossed the western states in May 2012.