A partial eclipse will happen on Sunday, May 20, and the Battle Point Astronomical Association is inviting the public to watch the solar spectacle through the telescopes at Ritchie Observatory at Battle Point Park.

The moon will begin to eclipse the sun at 4:01 p.m. Sunday, May 20, but local astronomers say the moon will be too far away from Earth to completely cover the sun.

At 5:18 p.m., at the peak of the eclipse, the moon will cover 83 percent of the sun. The eclipse will be over by 6:25 p.m.

Astronomers will be on hand at Ritchie Observatory during the public event, weather permitting.

Members of the association are also reminding people to not look at the sun directly, and that eclipse watchers should have a proper filter to protect their eyes. The association will have “eclipse shades” available, for a $5 donation to its sundial project, and a model of the proposed sundial on display in the park.

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has information on the solar eclipse and a map showing the area of the greatest eclipse at http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2012May20Agoogle.html.