Final solar eclipse of 2022 happening this morning

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The last solar eclipse of the year was visible across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia and Africa on Tuesday.

The partial eclipse is the second of the year and began at about 4:48 a.m. ET with the moon beginning to overlap with the sun. At its peak, about 82%-86% of the sun will be eclipsed. This will happen around 11:10 a.m., though the best spot to observe will be the North Pole.

If you are not in the Eastern Hemisphere, or the North Pole, you can still observe the eclipse online. Several sites are streaming the event, including timeanddate.com and the Royal Observatory, which is viewing the eclipse through the Annie Mauder Astrographic Telescope

The first and only other solar eclipse in 2022 took place in April. The partial eclipse was visible in southwest South America, parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and Antarctica. It was followed by a total lunar eclipse May 15-16. It was observed in Europe, Asia, Africa, and large portions of North America, South America, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and Antarctica.

There will be one more eclipse event this year. Again it will be a total lunar eclipse, taking place Nov. 7-8. It can be observed in north and east Europe, North America, Australia, Asia and much of South America, the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and Antarctica.

While it is tempting to look directly at a solar eclipse, do not do so without adequate protection. The sun's light looks dimmer but its rays are still too powerful to expose the eye to and can cause eclipse blindness. Eclipse blindness can be temporary or permanent, resulting in vision loss, blurred or distorted vision and altered color vision.

Welder's glasses are considered adequate protection to observe a partial solar eclipse. If you do not have access to welder's glasses, pinhole projection is a simple at-home option. Simply punch a small hole in a piece of cardboard and set a piece of paper on the ground about 3-feet away. The eclipse will be projected on the piece of paper. Do not look through the pinhole directly at the sun.