April 8. North Carolina is outside the path of totality, but we’ll still see more than 80 percent of the sun eclipsed by the moon.

2017 solar eclipse. NASA

Lake Norman is expected to experience an 83.4 percent partial solar eclipse that will begin at 1:54 pm and last for about 2 and a half hours, concluding at 4:26 pm.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow over parts of Earth and blocking the face of the sun for observers in those locations.

The only safe time to look at the sun without solar filters is during the 2-4 minutes of total eclipse. It is never safe to look at the sun without solar filters during any other phases of the eclipse.

Keep your pets inside.