
<DOC>
<DOCNO> SJMN91-06192123 </DOCNO>
<ACCESS> 06192123 </ACCESS>
<CAPTION>  Photos (2); PHOTO: Associated Press; ECLIPSE RITUALS -- In Santiago Atitlan,
Guatemala, a solar eclipse is cause for a great and noisy celebration, says
Nicolas Sepalu Toj, at left. Toj, a member of the Brotherhood of Maximon -- a
Mayan god represented by the icon at right -- explains his townspeople's
beliefs regarding eclipses. They traditionally burn incense, ring church bells
and wave farming tools to scare away the gargantuan bat that they believe
obscures the sun during an eclipse.; PHOTO: Angela Pancrazio -- Mercury News;
Greg Amoruso, on a business trip from Sacramento, tries out his
eclipse-viewing glasses (color); MAP: Associated Press; The view from down
here; PHOTO: Angela Pancrazio -- Mercury News; Hawaii-bound Kelly Thompson,
right, bought some eclipse viewing glasses at a Cupertino store Tuesday.
(Color); (Ran in the PM editions); PHOTO: Associated Press; Below, June and
Robert Hoover of Vista adjust their telescope near a Baja Peninsula campsite.
(Color); (Ran in the PM editions)  </CAPTION>
<DESCRIPT>  SPACE; UNUSUAL; SCIENCE; RESEARCH  </DESCRIPT>
<LEADPARA>  One by one the customers filtered out of the Orion Telescope Center, eclipsing
personal dignity in their zeal to view the sun through geeky,
fluorescent-green paper eyeshades.;    "It works: I see the sun," exclaimed
customer Jim Maurer as he peered at the Cupertino sky through his five-buck
Startrap Eclipse Viewers. "But I can't see anything else. . . . You know, I
don't think it's safe to drive in these."  </LEADPARA>
<SECTION>  Front  </SECTION>
<HEADLINE>  AND HERE'S HOW YOU LOOK
ECLIPSE WATCHERS SCRAMBLE FOR THEIR PLACE
IN THE SHADOW  </HEADLINE>
<MEMO>  See also related story on page 12A of this section.
See also related story on this page.
Additional information attached to the end of this article.  </MEMO>
<TEXT>
Sure, he'll be able to see Thursday's solar eclipse. But, oh, if only he and the hundreds of other customers could see themselves in the mirror, looking like an audience for a 3-D horror flick.;

It appears from the way people in the Golden State have been acting these days that they have been in the sun too long. Actually, they can't wait to get into the shadow. Millions of Californians will pause Thursday morning to join in an international ritual: watching the longest-lasting solar eclipse until 2132.;

"What other natural phenomenon can you be involved in and not get killed?" said Bert Beecher, spokesman for the Minolta Planetarium at De Anza College. "It's a lot safer than being in a volcano.";

Eyeshades a hot item;  Bay Area people Tuesday were desperately seeking eyeshades. It took 24 hours for Orion Telescope in Cupertino to sell its stock of 900 Eclipse Viewers, which are made with Mylar plastic lenses and supposedly safe for eclipse viewing. Welding supply stores were inundated with calls for welder's glasses made with the same plastic.;

Local planetariums and observatories were deluged with requests from people wanting to attend solar viewing sessions, even though the Bay Area will be privy only to a partial eclipse -- 63 percent coverage of the sun by the moon from 10:10 a.m. to 12:34 p.m.;

Some Bay Area "umbraphiles" -- lovers of the shadow -- were leaving few details to chance.;

Flights heavily booked;  Flights from here to Mexico and Hawaii -- where the eclipse can be seen in total -- were heavily booked by sunstruck people spending thousands of dollars to stand in 6 minutes, 53 seconds of darkness.;

 Scott Wiener, a computer company executive from Saratoga, is flying with two buddies to Baja, where thousands will toast the corona with Coronas.;

"I figure we'll get there in time to see the eclipse from a cab," said Wiener, who stood in line at the telescope store Tuesday for the Eclipse Viewers. "We'll put on the glasses and stick our heads out the window.;

"I figure it's worth it. I don't know if I'll be around for the next one in 150 years."; WHERE TO WATCH; Here are places to view Thursday's solar eclipse:;

The San Jose Astronomical Association will set up special telescopes at Branham Lane Park, near the intersection of Branham and Camden Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, call the association's recorded message at (408) 997-3347.;

In Berkeley, the Lawrence Hall of Science will offer safe viewing. For information, call (415) 642-5133.;

At Foothill College, the Foothill Observatory will be open for public viewing. For information call (415) 949-7334.;

In Cupertino, viewing will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Orion Telescope Center store at 10555 S. De Anza Blvd. Call (408) 255-8770 for information.; (box)California State University, Hayward is hosting a "Safe Solar Eclipse" viewing from 10 a.m. to noon in front of the Student Union. The Society of Physics Students will set up several 6-inch telescopes, and a video camera will record the eclipse for viewing on television. For information, call Kenton White or Charlie Harper at the physics department, (415) 881-3401.; (box)In Santa Cruz, a telescope will be set up in front of the Orion Telescope Center at 2450 17th Ave., and at the Seabright Brewery, 519 Seabright Ave. For information, call (408) 464-0465.;

Source: Mercury News
</TEXT>
<BYLINE>  E.A. TORRIERO, Mercury News Staff Writer  </BYLINE>
<COUNTRY>  USA  </COUNTRY>
<EDITION>  Morning Final  </EDITION>
<CODE>  SJ  </CODE>
<NAME>  San Jose Mercury News  </NAME>
<PUBDATE>   910710  </PUBDATE> 
<DAY>  Wednesday  </DAY>
<MONTH>  July  </MONTH>
<PG.COL>  1A  </PG.COL>
<PUBYEAR>  1991  </PUBYEAR>
<REGION>  WEST  </REGION>
<FEATURE>  PHOTO  </FEATURE>
<STATE>  CA  </STATE>
<WORD.CT>  823  </WORD.CT>
<DATELINE>  Wednesday July 10, 1991
00192123,SJ1  </DATELINE>
<COPYRGHT>  Copyright 1991, San Jose Mercury News  </COPYRGHT>
<LIMLEN>  1  </LIMLEN>
<LANGUAGE>  ENG
FRONT  </LANGUAGE>
</DOC>

