For live updates on the eclipse as it crosses central Ohio, and a livestream of NBC4 programming on Monday afternoon, follow this link.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The astronomical event decades in the making is here – the April 8 solar eclipse across North America is just hours away.

But when should you pop on your eclipse viewing glasses because, let’s be honest, they aren’t exactly the most flattering or practical everyday eyewear?

According to experts, the event will begin with a partial solar eclipse becoming visible in central Ohio at 1:55 p.m. as the moon’s shadow begins to move across the sun.

About 75 minutes later, the parts of central Ohio south of the path of totality (which runs north of Columbus from Worthington on up to Lake Erie on a northeastern arc) will experience 99.6% coverage of the sun by the moon starting at 3:12 p.m., lasting for four minutes.

The moon will complete its path across the sun at 4:27 p.m. All told, the full eclipse should last 2 hours and 31 minutes – long enough (if you skip the credits) to finish watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but not long enough to finish Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood. (Or you could listen to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon three and 1/2 times)

View the map below to see where the sun will be fully covered in Ohio, or type in the name of a town to check its specific coverage level.

In Ohio, the worst traffic is expected to be immediately after the eclipse. You can find live traffic conditions on NBC4i.com as well as places to get gas.

The eclipse will first be seen in the United States starting at 12:06 p.m. Central time (1:06 p.m. Eastern) as a partial eclipse near Eagle Pass, Texas, with totality starting at 1:27 p.m. Central (2:27 p.m. Eastern).

The last to see the eclipse in the U.S. will be Houlton in eastern Maine, with the partial eclipse starting there at 2:20 p.m., totality at 3:32 p.m., and the eclipse ending at 4:40 p.m.