A swathe of North America will be treated to an annular 'ring of fire' solar eclipse on October 14, wherein the Moon will be framed in a halo of starlight upon passing directly in front of the Sun.
Eclipses have enraptured humanity for thousands of years, giving rise to countless myths and legends, as well as scientific advancements. In the modern day, they continue to serve as an awesome reminder of the grand scale of the orbital mechanics that govern the stability of our solar system, and the wider universe beyond it.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, blocking its light from the perspective of Earth. The October 14 eclipse is set to take place at a time when the Moon is at a distant point in its orbital cycle relative to Earth, making it appear smaller than usual from the perspective of our planet.
This extra distance will render the Moon incapable of blocking the entirety of the Sun’s surface, making for a spectacular cosmic performance at the point of maximum occultation - known as annularity - whereupon Earth's satellite will be outlined in a burning halo of starlight.
What will next week’s annular solar eclipse be like for you?
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 3, 2023
Use NASA’s new interactive Eclipse Explorer map to see what people will experience throughout the path, compare the path to other solar eclipses, and more.
Learn how here: https://t.co/xjdoBsEq0Q pic.twitter.com/bXACSdHKUA
The full ring of fire eclipse will be visible in the U.S. across Utah, Texas, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico, along with parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, and Panama. The event will become visible first in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PDT, and is expected to end a few hours later at 12:03 p.m. CDT in Texas. The ring of fire will be visible for up to five minutes at each location on the path of annularity. The vast majority of the remainder of the United States will also be able to see the Moon occult the Sun to varying lesser extents.
Looking directly at the Sun with unshielded eyes will permanently damage your vision, and no, regular UV deflecting sunglasses won’t adequately protect you. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to view the eclipse safely without risking your health. If possible, try to get your hands on safe and authentic solar viewers and filters, or you can view the eclipse indirectly by building your very own pinhole projector.
NASA is also set to stream live coverage of the October 14 eclipse starting at 11:30 a.m. EDT on NASA TV, social media, and via its YouTube channel, so you don’t need to be in the path of annularity to enjoy the orbital ballet. The agency is also asking members of the public to record the sounds of the eclipse as it unfolds, in order to better understand how these rare events affect wildlife through the Eclipse Soundscapes Project.
Check out the NASA website to discover exactly when and where the annular eclipse will take place.
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Dunford
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
