By Jack Clark
August 19, 2017, 6:50 a.m.
UPDATED August 20, 2017, 2:25 p.m.

The greatest eclipse of the sun in U.S. history will take place this coming Monday morning August 21, 2017. According to USA Today's eclipse calculator, in Idyllwild the eclipse will begin at 9:07 a.m. PDT and last for 2 hours 40 minutes, with the peak coverage at 10:23 a.m. PDT. At that time, Idyllwilders will see the moon covering 61.7 percent of the sun.

Of course, what we really will be able to see will depend upon the local weather at that time, particularly cloud cover. As of midday Sunday, both the National Weather Service and Weather Underground were predicting "Sunny" and mostly clear skies with no chance of rain.

Looking directly at the sun can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye. The American Astronimical Society and NASA are warning that ordinary sun glasses -- even stacking multiple pairs of them -- are not safe for eclipse viewing and that some "safety glasses" being sold for looking at the eclipse are fake, even to the point of bearing fake endorsement markings. Learn more about glasses that are safe for eclipse watching at https://usat.ly/2wmoyrJ. Also, taking photos of the sun with a cell phone requires a solar filter to get good results and avoid damage your cell phone.