When, where and how to watch the annular solar eclipse
Follow live updates on the 2023 Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse.
This weekend, millions of people will feast their eyes on the latest celestial wonder: an annular solar eclipse to grace the Western Hemisphere sky.
The ‘ring of fire’ eclipse will begin Saturday morning in Oregon, move across the American Southwest and leave the United States through Texas. It will cross Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and a number of Central American countries before reaching South America. There it will pass through Colombia and Brazil and end its flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
We say this twice in this article: Remember never to look directly at a partial solar eclipse; wear safety glasses or use an alternative viewing method to protect your eyes.
What is an annular solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is in just the right place between the sun and Earth to obscure the sun from our view. When this happens, part of the Earth is bathed in moon shadow. It is a natural coincidence that the sun and moon appear to be the same size in the sky. Although the sun is approx 400 times as big as the moon, but also about 400 times as far away of earth.
The moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle, but somewhat elliptical. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth, or apogee. This makes it appear slightly smaller than the sun. During full annularity, or the maximum phase of the eclipse, the differences in size reveal an orange halo around the moon – the so-called ‘ring of fire’.
In contrast, a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is close enough to the Earth to completely block the sun, making the sky dark as night. During an annular solar eclipse, the sky darkens and looks like twilight.
Where can I see the annular solar eclipse?
The best places to view the eclipse are along the annular path, at locations that are in the moon’s shadow during this time. The New York Times has published a map showing the approximate trajectory of the solar eclipse. Some United States cities on or near this path include Eugene, Oregon; Ely and Battle Mountain in Nevada; Richfield, Utah; Roswell and Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Texas cities such as Midland, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Notable American landmarks along the path of annularity include Crater Lake in Oregon, Chaco Gorge in New Mexico and National Monument Lava Beds in California. The solar eclipse will also be over the Four corners – where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona intersect – although some of this land will be closed to accommodate traditional indigenous beliefs.
Outside the United States, cities that will experience a cancellation include Campeche and Chetumal in Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Olanchito, Honduras; Cali, Colombia; and Tefé and João Pessoa in Brazil.
Many major cities are not in the path of annular formation, but will experience a significant partial eclipse. They include Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston in the United States, as well as Mexico City, Bogotá in Colombia, Rio de Janeiro and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Times and its reporters will provide reporting from locations along the length of the eclipse, in both the United States and Latin America.
When does the annular solar eclipse start and end?
The eclipse begins at sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, 1,200 miles northwest of the U.S. mainland.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Oregon as early as 11:05 a.m. Eastern Time. There will be a cancellation there around 12:16 pm that will sweep across the country in the coming hours. The annular solar eclipse will cross the Texas coastline around 12:58 PM Eastern Time. It enters Mexico around 1:21 PM and passes through Central and South America for more than two hours before ending on the coast of Brazil at 3:48 PM Eastern Time.
How long the annular solar eclipse lasts depends on the location from which it is viewed. In the United States, people on the Texas coast will experience ring formation for the longest stretch, about five minutes. But viewers on the Nicaraguan and Panamanian coasts will see the longest duration in all of America, about five minutes and 15 seconds.
What should I do if I cannot reach the path of annularity?
People outside the path of the annularity will experience a partial solar eclipse. Only part of the sun will be hidden by the moon, leaving a glowing golden crescent in the sky. A smaller portion of the sun’s surface will be covered by the moon as you move further away from the annular path.
If weather or other restrictions prevent you from seeing the eclipse in person, several organizations are hosting livestream events of the annular solar eclipse, including NASA, Time and datethe San Francisco Exploratorium And Lowell Observatory in Arizona.
What do I need to see the solar eclipse?
A popular, inexpensive option is to buy paper eclipse glasses, which filter out harmful solar radiation. There are also eclipse binoculars that come with magnification to improve your view of the sun. Be wary of defective eclipse glasses. The American Astronomical Society claims a list of reputable suppliers check before you buy.
According to NASAyou should avoid using eclipse glasses that are damaged in any way, so be careful if you have leftover viewers from the Great American Eclipse of 2017. The space agency also recommends not looking at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope or other optical glasses to watch. device while wearing eclipse glasses to avoid getting burned by the protective filter.
More expensive viewing options include binocular or telescope filters.
If you cannot obtain special equipment, you can view the annular solar eclipse indirectly using a pinhole camera. This can be as simple as making one criss-cross pattern with your fingers or making a hole in an index card to project an image of the solar eclipse onto the ground. For a more advanced option you can use one Box pinhole projector use of common household items.
What will happen during the annular solar eclipse?
The event begins with a partial solar eclipse, as the moon slowly engulfs the sun’s surface. This phase, called first contact, lasts approximately one hour and twenty minutes. according to NASA.
The second phase of contact is annularity, where the sun appears as a ring of fire in the sky. About 90 percent of the solar surface will be obscured by the moon for one to five minutes, depending on the viewing location. During this phase the sky becomes darker, animals can become confused and plants can settle.
After the annularity, the moon will slowly creep away from the sun, causing another partial solar eclipse. This third contact phase lasts another hour and 20 minutes. At fourth contact, when the sun is fully visible again, the eclipse will have ended.
How often do solar eclipses occur?
According to NASA, the Sun, Moon, and Earth align for a total or annular solar eclipse only twice a year. But many of these happen in other parts of the world or above water, and can be difficult to observe.
In the United States, the last annular solar eclipse occurred in 2012, and the last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017. If you miss the annular solar eclipse this weekend, a total solar eclipse begins in Mexico, travel through the eastern half of the United States and end in April next year in Canada.
After 2024, the next solar eclipse will no longer be visible in the United States until 2041.
Is it worth the hype?
Onlookers have described a solar eclipse as a spiritual experience. Eclipse chasers – people who travel the world to feel the fleeting moments of awe the celestial event inspires – claim their first time changed their lives forever.
The only way to know is to see it for yourself.