It's a big day for one swath of the country, where for two or three minutes people with eclipse-watching glasses will be able to watch a total eclipse for the last time in 20 years — at least in the US.

Here in the Bay Area, those two or three minutes, around 11:13 am, won't be too dramatic — and may even be less of a dramatic eclipse than the one that occurred in 2017, during which we were also not in the path of totality.

For us, this eclipse will be just a 35-percenter, so the moon will only cover about one-third of the sun, though the event will still be detectable if you're outside and have the proper viewing gear — otherwise it will just look weird out for a bit, lighting wise.

The entire event, in which some part of the sun is blocked, has already begun as of this writing, and will continue until just afternoon noon Pacific Time.

Again: Do not look directly at the sun without protective glasses or a sun filter, and sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. You will suffer eye damage.

Still, there is a viewing party already underway at the Academy of Sciences, and another across the Bay at the Chabot Space and Science Center, as KTVU reports.

What's somewhat unusual about this eclipse is that the path of totality includes a number of major cities, including Indianapolis, Dallas, and Austin. The 2017 eclipse similarly missed San Francisco with its viewable path, but the path of totality with that one went across the entire continent — something that had not occurred since 1918.

The next total solar eclipse visible in the US will be in 2044, and it will only be fully visible in parts of three states: Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, around sunset, as KPIX reports. You may want to head up to Canada for that one.

Photo: Jongsun Lee