Solar eclipse this afternoon: Watch it live, online

Hey there sky watchers! The solar eclipse is almost upon us and you can watch it live, right here.

For a few hours today, the shadow of the moon will appear to take a bite out of the seemingly perfect sphere of the sun. This partial eclipse will be visible in all of the United States except New England, and most of Canada too.

Here in Southern California, you will be able to spot the first trace of a shadow across the face of the sun at 2:07 p.m. PDT. The maximum eclipse, when 45% of the sun's face will be covered in shadow, occurs at 3:27 p.m. The eclipse ends entirely at 4:39 p.m.

Looking directly at the sun for a long period of time is not an option -- the sun's radiation can cause permanent damage to your eyes, so you will need another strategy. We've got several for you to try, but the very easiest way to see it may be on your computer.

You have a few options. The astronomy website Slooh.com will be live-streaming views of the eclipse from several telescopes across the U.S. beginning at 2 p.m. PDT. Griffith Observatory will also have a live broadcast of the eclipse beginning at 2 p.m. which you can find below.

Since you will be checking out the sun anyway, see if you can locate the vast and complex sunspot group known as Active Region 12192. It has recently moved into the center of the sun and has grown to the size of Jupiter. Heliophysicist Tony Phillips of spaceweather.com says it is shaping up to be the biggest sunspot in many years. 

Happy eclipse viewing, and remember to keep your eyes safe!

Science rules! Follow me @DeborahNetburn and "like" Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook