Sydney, Australia

A girl adjusts a telescope to focus the reflected image of a partial solar eclipse in front of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge on May 10, 2013. (SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Get your pinhole projectors and welders' goggles ready.

North Americans are in for a treat Thursday as the new moon is set to partially block out the sunand provide an afternoon lightshow, known as a partial solar eclipse. Nearly all of North America, save for portions of far eastern Canada and the northeastern-most U.S. will be able to witness the eclipse, according to Space.com.

EarthSkyexplains that a solar eclipse is caused by the new moon passing between the Earth and the sun. In the case of a partial solar eclipse, the moon is not quite close enough to the Earth to create a full eclipse and only appears to take a bite out of the sun.

(MORE:Rare Solar Eclipse Coming April 29)

Areas that will see the October 28 partial solar eclipse. (NASA/GSFC/A.T. Sinclair)

A partial solar eclipse differs from an annular solar eclipse --when the moon positions itself in such a way to project a ring of sunlight to viewers on Earth. According to Space.com, a viewer's position on Earth affects the appearance of the eclipse, which explains why the Oct. 23 partial eclipse can only be seen by people in North America.

You need to remain cautious, however, to avoid watching any type of eclipse without protective gear. To avoid eye injuries, you can wear a pair of eclipse glasses or make your own pinhole projector.

The eclipse will begin at 5:51 p.m. Eastern Time and reach its greatest eclipse by 6:08 p.m.

As reported on weather.com, Australians will witness a rare annular eclipse in April.

According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse visible from the United States will occur Aug. 21, 2017.

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