A partial solar eclipse was visible across western North America on Tuesday morning . While the moon eclipsed 90 percent of the sun , mountains on the side of the moon could be seen silhouetted against the sun . Gas jets on the sun 's surface and a giant group of sunspots were also visible . Clouds over downtown Salt Lake City dashed Hansen Planetarium's plans to set up telescopes to watch the moon block 36 percent of the sun at 11:10 a.m. MST. ` The eclipse was visible to some extent west of a diagonal line stretching roughly from Mazatlan , Mexico , northeast to California and Chicago . Scientists advised against staring at the sun directly or through inadequate filters . After an eclipse in 1970 , 245 eye injuries were reported in the U.S. , but warnings about the eclipse reduced the number to three during a 1984 partial eclipse .
A partial solar eclipse was visible across western North America on Tuesday morning . While the moon eclipsed 90 percent of the sun , mountains on the side of the moon could be seen silhouetted against the sun . Gas jets on the sun 's surface and a giant group of sunspots were also visible . The eclipse was visible to some extent west of a diagonal line stretching roughly from Mazatlan , Mexico , northeast to California and Chicago . Scientists advised against staring at the sun directly or through inadequate filters . After an eclipse in 1970 , 245 eye injuries were reported in the U.S. , but warnings about the eclipse reduced the number to three during a 1984 partial eclipse .