On October 14th, the “Ring of Fire” annular solar eclipse will be visible across several states in North America. Sky-watchers across North, Central, and South America will see a partial eclipse, lasting for about three hours. The area in the path resulting in a full view will have a few minutes to witness the eclipse. The next annular eclipse will occur on April 8th, 2024, viewable from parts of North and Central America.
Many do not know it, but there is a difference between a total and annular eclipse. “With an annular, you don’t get darkness, cooler temperatures or the “black hole sun” effect, but what you do get is a “ring of fire” that’s remarkable in its own right,” Jayne Aubele said. Aubele is a Senior Educator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Annular eclipses tend to cover 91% of the sun. Even though it is not a total eclipse, watchers are still advised to wear solar eclipse glasses at all stages of the event.
This annular eclipse’s path will begin in Oregon and cross over Northern California, Nevada, Utah, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Then it will move across Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil. The area offering the longest view of the eclipse, up to 4 minutes and 52 seconds, will be at Padre Island on the Texas coast.
For anyone who is unable to watch the eclipse, it will be livestreamed from several webcasts, including San Francisco’s Exploratorium. www.timeanddate.com is also a reliable source for the eclipse livestream.
