"To me, it's fascinating," Ted Pedas said.

A professor emeritus at Youngstown State University and former astronomy teacher at Farrell, Pedas called the upcoming Transit of Venus "a fascinating example of how we've come to understand the solar system."

"What's going to happen is the planet Venus is coming in front of the face of the sun," Pedas explained. "It's going to create a black dawn."

It won't be a "total eclipse of the sun or anything," but will still be something to see when it happens, between 6 and 8 p.m. on June 5.

In preparation for the actual transit, the Ted Pedas Planetarium at Farrell Area School District will present a 40-minute program called "Shadows of the Sun: Transit of Venus."

The free program will be presented Tuesday and the day of the transit.

The 5 p.m. Tuesday show is booked full, but presentations at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. still have seats available and it will also be presented at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. June 5 prior to the outdoor viewing of the transit live between 6 and 8 p.m. behind Farrell High School.

People can register for the indoor lectures and outdoor events at calling the planetarium at 724-509-1258.

During the live outdoor viewing, people will be supplied with filtered glasses to safely view the event.

"We have to caution people not to stare at the sun," Pedas said.

Telescopes will be set up during the transit and broadcasts of the sights in other parts of Earth will also be made, he said.

The transits happen in pairs eight years apart every 110 years. The initial transit this time around was in 2004 and was not readily visible in North America.

Pedas, who was in Europe at the time, viewed it there.

"I don't want to give you the impression it's a total eclipse of the sun," he said.

But it's still worth watching, he said.

"You understood the place of the earth in our solar system," he said.

Throughout history, the transits have created a stir among men, Pedas said.

Starting in the 17th century, astronomers would travel the earth view the transit and it was used to calculate the "Astronomical Unit" of measure for celestial objects, Pedas said.

Although rendered moot by modern technological advances, watching the transit is now simply "a fun activity," he said.

"Having a front row seat to the transit can show us first hand the marvels and magnificence of our sun and solar system," Pedas wrote in a news release.

A partial solar eclipse will occur Monday in what Ted Pedas, Farrell school district planetarium director, professor and columnist, is calling a “once in a lifetime event.”

The eclipse will begin at 10:55 a.m. Nearly 60 percent of the sun's surface will be covered at 12:30 p.m. and the eclipse will end shortly after 2 p.m.

Pedas is known throughout the area for his cosmological expertise and generosity. His brother, George, is the technical education director for the district. George has a quieter demeanor than his brother, but when talking astronomy, he flares a heartfelt passion as well.

As I talk with George in his office, his sister, Marcy Sigler calls. She is a real estate agent in New York City. Although she has already bought 200 eclipse glasses, she needs 500 more.

Astronomy is, indeed, a family affair.

But it is an affair that the Pedas clan has shared for years with young minds, stirring within them their own astronomical passions.

Thanks to Ted's generosity, every pupil, teacher and support staff member in the Farrell school district received a pair of eclipse glasses to view the phenomenon. His generosity did not go unnoticed by the pupils.

Responses: Ebony Davis, a 10th-grader at Farrell, is excited. “I'm going to watch it for sure,” she says. “It's not very often a person can see an eclipse in their lifetime. This will be my second.” She remembers when she was in fifth grade and the Pedases set up telescopes outside the school for another partial eclipse.

Curtis Fryson, a third-grader, may be move excited about wearing the glasses than the actual event. “They're cool! They look like 3-D glasses, ” he says merrily.

Even the first-graders understand the event. Marsha Evans explains. “The sun is going to look like it is going down, and then it will look like it is coming back up.”

First-grader Paula Fair interjects, “But don't touch the lenses!” referring to the eclipse glasses.

Teachers' preparations: Sixth-grade teacher Japraunika Wright has been making pinhole camera boxes with her classes. “They have been so excited about it. They are working so diligently,” she says, as she points to the black shoe boxes the pupils have painted.

JoAnna Wilson explains, “They are for being able to look at the sun and not get your eyes burned. ” These sixth-graders will be alternating between their pinhole boxes and their eclipse glasses.

Keith Fustos, a sixth-grade math teacher, is so impressed with his pupils' knowledge of the eclipse, he gives high-fives to his class after our visit.

Through all the excitement and anticipation, Ted and George are careful to stress the importance of using proper eye protection.

Marlin Howard, a 10th grader, asks, “Why would it hurt your eyes?”

“The ultraviolet rays will burn the retinas in your eyes just like a sunburn does to your skin,” George replies. He cautions that even though the sun might not seem bright when obscured by the moon, ultraviolet rays can still severly harm the eyes.

With their eclipse glasses, the pupils at Farrell will not have to worry about that. There is one concern, however: clouds, “Hope for a nice, sunny day,” George said.

A solar eclipse will mark the day for those who dare to venture away from their newly opened presents, provided the weather cooperates.

A solar eclipse occurs when the new moon passes between the earth and the sun. The moon's shadow moves across part of the earth, blocking out the sun for a brief period.

At the eclipse's height locally, about 12:30p.m., almost 60 percent of the sun will be obscured, said astronomer Ted Pedas of Farrell.

“If it's clear skies, it will be very visible,” said Pedas, who organizes cruise ship tours to eclipse sites and is writing a book on eclipses.

The eclipse will begin at 10:55 a.m. and end at 2 p.m.

A full solar eclipse darkens the sky, leaving a ring of fire. This eclipse -- called a partial or annular eclipse -- won't be so dramatic.

“People will not really know what's going on unless they look,” said Pedas, director of the planetarium named after him at Farrell schools. “Even with the sun covered 40 percent, it is still very bright.”

And it could still damage the eyes of those who look directly at it. The only direct way to safely see the eclipse is by wearing special glasses that Pedas has made available to students and staff of Farrell schools and West Middlesex elementaryschools, or welding glass with a rating of 14.

The glasses filter out ultraviolet and infrared light. Pedas didn't know of any other local sources for the glasses.

Indirect methods of viewing include pinhole cameras and using binoculars,telescopes or pinhole projectors to project the eclipse onto a flat surface.

The safest way is to punch a small hole in a piece of paper or cardboard and watch the image on another piece of white paper or cardboard.

Pedas promised that the indirect method will be a “wonderful way” to see the eclipse.

Some teachers incorporated the eclipse into classroom activities. Donna McGrath, West Middlesex elementary art teacher, is asking students who see the eclipse to draw what they see and bring the drawings to school for class discussion.

Lisa Kirila, who teaches fourth-grade math, science and social studies at Farrell, made a similar request of her students. She said student response has been eclipse-like.

“They were very excited,” she said. “The kindergartners and first-graders, their eyes were like huge saucers.”