Rare ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse will appear this WEEK: How and when to see the biggest cosmic event of the year

This week millions will have the chance to see the most exciting astronomical event of the year, as a rare “Ring of Fire” eclipse will sweep across the Western Hemisphere.

On October 14, much of North, South and Central America will see a glimpse of an annular eclipse, which causes the sun to appear as a bright, burning ring.

Starting at 09:15 PST, or 16:15 GMT, the eclipse will follow a path extending from the West Coast of the United States all the way to northern Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean.

While the entire United States will be able to see a partial eclipse, those in the middle of the path will be able to see about 90% of the sun obscured for up to five minutes.

This will be the first time in more than a decade that an annular eclipse will be seen over North America.

The eclipse’s path begins in Oregon before heading toward the West Coast through Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas.

Residents of Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, and California will also have a chance to see maximum sun blocking if they are in the right part of the state.

After passing through the United States, the eclipse’s path will then continue to travel over Mexico and into South America via Colombia.

The path will eventually move across a large area of ​​Brazil before ending up over the Atlantic Ocean at sunset.

Michael Zeller, cartographer and eclipse chaser at GreatAmericanEclipse.com, said: Space.com website People using eclipse glasses will clearly see a “brilliant ring of sunlight” during the eclipse.

“I would recommend the US National Parks in the Four Corners region where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Ariana meet because it is a sunny time of year after the monsoon season and before the winter storms,” Mr. Zeller said.

To help eclipse seekers, NASA has created an interactive eclipse tracker that reveals the best areas to view this massive celestial event.

It features layers of detail that space enthusiasts can turn on or off, including what percentage of the sun will be covered at the peak of the eclipse in different regions.

Skygazers can also see the path and shapes of the umbra — the darkest part of the shadow and where the annular occurs — and the umbra, the brightest part of the umbra, where only a partial eclipse can be seen.

NASA has also included a “countdown tool,” which provides a timer for when the eclipse will be at maximum coverage for each city.

What causes a solar eclipse?

Annular and total solar eclipses occur when the Moon casts its shadow over part of the Earth.

When the Sun, Earth and Moon are arranged in a single line in an event astronomers refer to as Syzygy, light transmitted from the Sun is blocked.

While the Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, it is also about 400 times farther away, meaning the Moon can completely block the Sun during a total eclipse.

However, during an annular eclipse, the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth, called apogee, at about 251,000 miles (405,500 km).

This means that the Moon casts a smaller shadow and the edge of the Sun is visible from Earth, allowing the burning ring of fire to be seen.

How to watch a solar eclipse safely

If you’re lucky enough to be in the path of the 2023 Ring of Fire eclipse, the most important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t look directly at the sun with the naked eye.

Even during an eclipse, the sun will still be quite bright and exposure to it will risk permanent damage to your eyes.

Regular sunglasses will not provide protection because they cannot block enough light.

To view the eclipse safely, you must use special eclipse glasses that block more light than regular glasses.

Alternatively, you can use a pinhole projector to project the eclipse’s appearance onto a sheet of paper or screen where it can be viewed safely.

To make a pinhole projector, cut a small hole in a piece of card and hold it up toward the sun.

The light will pass through the hole and can be shined onto a piece of paper behind it.

When will the eclipse be visible in the UK?

In general, a total solar eclipse can be seen every 400 years from any one location, however, partial eclipses are significantly more common.

The last total solar eclipse in the UK occurred on 11 August 1999 and can be seen in parts of Cornwall and Devon while other parts of the UK experienced a partial eclipse.

To see the next partial eclipse you won’t have to wait long, as one will be visible from the UK on March 29, 2025.

However, for those eager to see the total eclipse, their wait will be a little longer as the next time this will happen in the UK will be in September 2090.

The next total eclipse to occur anywhere next year will be on April 8 over Mexico, the United States and Canada.