Lexington looks to the skies ahead of solar eclipse. Here’s what’s happening in the city

It’s finally here! A total solar eclipse is expected to draw more than 1 million people to Kentucky this week as they travel to prime viewing spots in the western half of the state and to nearby spots like Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

The rare event won’t occur again over the contiguous U.S. until 2044, according to NASA, so you won’t want to miss Monday’s eclipse.

If you’re celebrating at a Lexington watch party, don’t forget to keep your eclipse glasses or viewers on throughout the entire event. Viewed from Lexington, the solar eclipse will appear as a partial one, with the moon covering about 96% of the sun’s face, but that’s still enough to hurt your eyes if you stare at the sun without proper eye protection.

NASA is also warning the public against taking photos of the eclipse with their phones. Be sure to hold up a pair of eclipse glasses to the lens before you snap a selfie, otherwise you could seriously damage your phone.

In Lexington and Central Kentucky, the show is expected to kick off at about 1:50 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, with the eclipse peaking here around 3:08 p.m. By 4:24 p.m., the eclipse ends.

Check back later for more live local updates brought to you by Herald-Leader reporters Christopher Leach, Monica Kast, Taylor Six and Kendall Staton.