South Florida Excited In Advance Of Eclipse

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The brightest star in the sky will go dark Monday when the moon gets in the way of the sun.

Beginning in the afternoon, Earth's largest satellite will cross completely in front of the sun, obscuring it entirely across a swath of middle America from Oregon to South Carolina, and will almost obliterate the sun in the Sunshine State.

"I have three boys, so I'm excited for them," said Amy Saphier as she shopped Sunday afternoon at a Whole Foods in Pinecrest.

The rendezvous of the sun and moon has us excited for our kids, like Chris Chase's son.

"He's been asking about it, so I'm kind of excited for him because it's a once in a lifetime thing, I guess."

It is a once in a lifetime thing for anyone not old enough to remember the last one, nearly forty years ago.

"I've never seen one," said middle-schooler Juliana Carrasco. "I'm excited about it, I want to see it."

Here's What You Need To Know About Monday's Eclipse

In South Florida, the moon will begin to creep across the face of the sun at 1:26 p.m., max out, covering more than two-thirds of the sun, at 2:58 p.m., and be out of the way at 4:20 p.m.

Dierdre Morgan is ready and will pull her daughter out of school early.

"We found out we can pick her up early, so she can go home and put on her special glasses. So, I'm excited," Morgan said.

There are places where those who wish can gather to watch the eclipse safely.

Florida International University is opening up its observatory, as is the Fox Observatory in Sunrise and the Frost Museum of Science in downtown Miami is also hosting a watch party. Some libraries will have special glasses available for visitors to borrow to watch the eclipse. Special sunglasses must be used to look directly at the eclipse in order to avoid eye damage. Regular sunglasses do no provide protection. There are other ways to view the eclipse safely.

(The Miami Herald contributed information for this article)