The stunning 2023 ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse will be visible in the US for the first time in 11 years…but only eight states will see it in October

A “ring of fire” will appear over parts of the US when the moon passes between the sun and Earth during the 2023 annular solar eclipse.

The cosmic event will occur on October 14, starting at 12:13 a.m. ET in Oregon and ending three hours later in Texas.

Only eight states will be in the path of the eclipse: Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas.

The annular eclipse also extends to Mexico, Central America and South America.

This will be the first time in 11 years that an annular solar eclipse will be visible in North America, as previously observed over parts of the same eight states.

While in other eclipses the moon temporarily completely blocks the sun’s light, in an annular eclipse the moon is too far from the earth.

This means it’s perfectly positioned to burst through a ring of light or ‘fire’ – to spectacular effect.

Then there’s a total solar eclipse, which happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, but blocks the entire surface of the sun – and the US will see this happen in 2024.

This year’s annular solar eclipse will run along a 200-kilometer path from Oregon to Brazil.

As the event unfolds, light levels are predicted to increase as the moon will cover 90 percent of the sun, Space.com reports.

Michael Zeiler, cartographer and eclipse hunter at GreatAmericanEclipse.com, told Space.com that people who wear eclipse glasses will clearly see a “brilliant ring of sunlight” during the eclipse.

“I would recommend the US National Parks in the ‘Four Corners’ area, where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Ariana meet, because it’s a sunny time of year after the monsoon season and before winter storms,” ​​Zeiler said.

While in other eclipses the moon temporarily completely blocks the sun’s light, in an annular eclipse the moon is too far from the earth. This means it’s perfectly positioned to burst through a ring of light or ‘fire’ – to spectacular effect.

Experts warned that people watching the eclipse should wear protective eye coverings so as not to cause damage

While the eight states are on the path, only part of the area will see the full annular eclipse.

In southern Oregon, the best spots are along the coast, and only people in the northeastern region of California will witness the eclipse.

The trail passes through southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, northwestern to southeastern New Mexico, and the same parts of Texas.

Dr. Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, warned that looking directly at the sun, even partially obscured, could cause serious and permanent eye damage.

‘Never look directly at the sun and don’t use standard sunglasses, this can cause serious damage to your eyes,’ added Dr Drabek-Maunder.

The rare “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse seen from the Corniche road in Doha, Qatar in 2019

It is also unsafe to look at the sun through binoculars, telescope or camera lens without special filters. It is therefore best not to take direct images.

Using a simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses, which can be purchased online, or special solar filters are viable alternatives.

“You can make a projector by poking a small hole in a piece of cardboard,” Dr Drabek-Maunder said, adding that you hold the card up to the sun so that it shines through the hole onto a piece of paper that is behind the card. is placed.

“You’ll be able to see the shape of the sun on the piece of paper and see how the shape changes as the moon moves in front of the sun.”