UGA to host solar eclipse viewing at Sanford Stadium

Sanford Stadium will host a solar eclipse viewing next month. (Peter Frey/University of Georgia)

Sanford Stadium will host a solar eclipse viewing next month. (Peter Frey/University of Georgia)

Those anticipating next month’s solar eclipse have an opportunity to view the rare spectacle at the University of Georgia.

The event, Eclipse Blackout 2017 hosted by the university's geography department, will allow onlookers to view the moment Aug. 21 at Sanford Stadium.

"UGA is in a great position to view a 99.1 percent "blackout" from a total solar eclipse," organizers wrote on the event page. 

The first 5,000 guests will get free, custom UGA viewing glasses and can expect to see other views from around the world on the stadium’s big screen.

The eclipse is expected to be over Oregon at 1:15 p.m. EDT and end in South Carolina about an hour and a half later.

Peak darkness in Athens is projected to be at 2:38 p.m.

The eclipse is the first in nearly 100 years to cross the country. Due to its rarity, astronomers are calling it the Great American Eclipse.