Houstonians may not have the opportunity to experience a total solar eclipse in person on Monday like some Texas residents, but this doesn’t mean they won’t be participating in a celestial event themselves.

A partial solar eclipse will settle over Houston at about 12:21 p.m. It is expected to peak at 1:40 p.m. when the moon will block 94 percent of the sun and end around 3:01 p.m. This timeline could alter slightly depending on a spectator’s viewing location.

Those looking up at the sky will see the sun as if a chunk is missing from its surface, instead of the moon covering the sun in full, which happens in locations directly in the path of totality.

According to Dr. Aimee Bichler, an earth and planetary science lecturer at the University of Houston, those in Houston should be on the lookout for the crescent-shaped shadows projected from the eclipse during the roughly two-hour event.

“Everything’s kind of alive and dancing, along with those crescent moons,” Bichler said. “The way that the light reflects off of everything, it’s almost like glitter on everything.”

One of the easiest ways to see these shadows is by looking up at the tree leaves as light passes through them, projecting the crescent moons or small snapshots of the eclipse from above down below.

The ability to see these shapes depends on how the weather holds up throughout the day. Like other Texas areas, Houston’s forecasted conditions are projecting the possibility of not providing the ideal viewing experience.

A low-pressure system moving through the area could cause significant cloud coverage, rain and the likelihood of strong thunderstorms. According to reports, the city could see 80 to 85 percent of cloud cover.

Parts of Houston will also be under a level two out of five risk of severe weather as scattered storms could occur Monday afternoon into the evening. Hail and strong winds may pose significant threats to those experiencing the eclipse.

Although there is a chance that if the weather worsens, it could disrupt the viewing process, Bichler said conditions may alter the experience in a different but heightened way.

“If it’s cloudy, we might not see those shadows, but it might bring on a whole new light reflection. The light itself might reflect differently off those clouds,” she added. “The clouds may influence how our eyes pick up that light and perceive it.”

Bichler will be speaking at the University of Houston’s downtown campus ahead of the eclipse to share the basics of eclipses with viewers attending. She said the university expects students and faculty members to be scattered throughout the campus, taking in the experience.

Houston has several eclipse-viewing events, including at Space Center Houston, The Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo and Memorial Park’s Kinder Land Bridge, among other locations across the city.