Google, UC Berkeley seek volunteers to document August solar eclipse

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Google and the University of California, Berkeley, are inviting members of the public to help document a solar eclipse predicted August 21.

The two have teamed up on the Eclipse Megamovie Project, which intends to capture images of the upcoming solar eclipse with the help of more than 1,000 volunteer photographers, amateur astronomers and others, according to the website eclipsemega.

The images will be stitched together to create a continuous view of the eclipse as it moves across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina, according to the website. An app has been created for the volunteers to capture images of the eclipse.

The purpose of the project is to learn more about the sun's corona, according to the website.

People will be able to see the eclipse, dubbed the Great American Eclipse, all over the United States and in other parts of North America, though only those in its path will see the total eclipse. Others will be able to see the partial eclipse.

To view the eclipse safely, it is necessary to use protective devices such as solar viewing glasses, according to the website. Many science museums and libraries are selling or giving out solar viewing glasses, the website said.