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Annular solar eclipse 2023: Everything you need to know about North America's 'ring of fire' eclipse
Space ^
| Oct. 8, 2023.
| Jamie Carter
Posted on 10/08/2023 3:56:14 PM PDT by george76
The annular solar eclipse will be visible from eight states in the U.S. Southwest.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will come to North America.
We have summarized how you can watch the annular solar eclipse 2023 online and NASA has also released an interactive map where you can track the Oct. 14 annular solar eclipse down to the last second. The 'ring of fire' is not to be missed!
Roughly 11 years after the same type of solar eclipse crossed the U.S. Southwest on May 20, 2012, this one will be visible from a similar region, crossing eight U.S. states from Oregon to Texas, according to NASA.
During an annular solar eclipse, the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun, so it can't block the entire disk. The result is a beautiful "ring of fire." Here's everything you need to know about this rare event.
This eclipse won't darken skies the way the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, did. A solar eclipse occurs when a new moon is positioned precisely between Earth and the sun and casts its shadow on Earth.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon appears relatively small in the sky so does not fully cover the disk of the sun, leaving a thin outer ring often called a "ring of fire."
Whether the moon can completely cover the sun's disk depends on the moon's distance from Earth. The moon has a slightly elliptical orbit around Earth, so at two points each month, it is farthest (apogee) and closest (perigee) to Earth, making the moon appear slightly smaller and slightly larger than average in our sky.
On Oct. 14, 2023, the new moon will look relatively small and, therefore, cover only 91% of the sun's disk as viewed from the narrow path of annularity that stretches from Oregon through Texas and beyond.
...
On Oct. 14, 2023, all of North America and Central America, and most of South America will experience a solar eclipse. For all of that region, the spectacle will be a partial solar eclipse of varying obscuration. Only within the path of annularity, which is 118 to 137 miles (190 to 220 kilometers) wide, will the ring of fire be visible. That path will stretch from Oregon through northern California, northeast Nevada, central Utah, northeast Arizona, southwest Colorado, central New Mexico and southern Texas. It will then move across the Gulf of Mexico and over Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.
...
The point of greatest eclipse — where viewers could see a ring of fire lasting 5 minutes, 17 seconds — will occur off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. To see the exact path of annularity, check out this interactive map
...
In Sept. 2023, it was announced that all Navajo Tribal Parks will be closed from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. MDT on October 14, 2023, due to Navajo cultural beliefs surrounding the event. This includes Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park and parts of the Tséyi’ Diné Heritage Area in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Local businesses may also be closed. Please plan your eclipse viewing trip accordingly.
The most scenic places to see the ring of fire are in the U.S. Southwest and at the Mayan temple at Edzná on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Here are some notable locations and cities that will see a ring of fire, together with the local time and duration of that event, according to Jubier. Note that all of these places will also see a long partial solar eclipse before and after the brief 'ring of fire; their closeness to the centerline of the path of annularity determines the duration of the ring of fire:
Oregon Dunes, Oregon: 9:15 a.m. PDT; 4 minutes, 29 seconds .
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon: 9:17 a.m. PDT; 4 minutes, 19 seconds .
Lava Beds National Monument, California: 9:19 a.m. PDT; 54 seconds .
Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 9:24 a.m. PDT; 3 minutes, 46 seconds .
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah: 10:27 a.m. MDT; 2 minutes, 31 seconds .
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah: 10:27 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes, 37 seconds .
Canyonlands National Park, Utah: 10:29 a.m. MDT; 2 minutes, 24 seconds.
Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah: 10:29 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes, 29 seconds .
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado: 10:31 a.m. MDT; 2 minutes, 57 seconds .
Chaco Culture National Park, New Mexico: 10:32 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes, 42 seconds .
Albuquerque, New Mexico: 10:34 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes, 42 seconds .
San Antonio: 11:52 a.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 5 seconds.
Corpus Christi, Texas: 11:55 a.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 52 seconds.
Padre Island National Seashore, Texas: 11:56 a.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 52 seconds.
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Although it's a great excuse to visit new places, the most important factor for eclipse viewing is clear weather
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Although it's largely being seen as a warm-up for the 2024 total solar eclipse, the 2023 annular solar eclipse is a great excuse to travel, and for eclipse chasers who have yet to see an annular solar eclipse, it's a great opportunity.
As with all eclipses, it's important to be in the center of the path of the moon's shadow if you want to experience as long a spectacle as possible. That means putting yourself on or near to the centerline. However, experienced eclipse chasers will head to the northern edge of the path — at locations such as Dolores, Colorado, and Santa Fe, New Mexico — to experience a much shorter, but arguably more dramatic, spectacle.
Viewers in these locations will see a ring of fire for perhaps just a few seconds. But it will be less circular, and one part of the edge of the moon will appear to almost block out the sun. This may make it possible to glimpse the "Baily's beads" ring around the moon during the annularity phase, just as can be seen during a total solar eclipse.
TOPICS: Astronomy; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: annular; annulareclipse; annularsolareclipse; eclipse; solar; solareclipse
1
posted on
10/08/2023 3:56:14 PM PDT
by
george76
To: george76
2
posted on
10/08/2023 4:00:01 PM PDT
by
Baldwin77
(Be not deceived, God is not mocked)
To: george76
Already in place & ready at Bryce Canyon - caught the 2017 event in MO & planning for 2024 in AR.
3
posted on
10/08/2023 4:25:13 PM PDT
by
T-Bird45
(It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't. )
To: george76
“ In Sept. 2023, it was announced that all Navajo Tribal Parks will be closed from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. MDT on October 14, 2023, due to Navajo cultural beliefs surrounding the event. “
Fortunately I have no cultural beliefs hindering my viewing the eclipse.
Four Corners monument may be closed but you can still park alongside the state roads that run by the monument. The monument is only a few hundred yards away from the main road so you won’t miss out on the eclipse at Four Corners.
To: george76
Seeing it west of San Antonio. Should be a cloudless sky so viewing conditions should be optimal!
To: george76
Our house is about 300 feet off the exact centerline. We’ll enjoy it from our backyard.
6
posted on
10/08/2023 4:34:27 PM PDT
by
LibertyOh
To: george76
Thanks for posting, George!
The article has a link to an excellent "eclipseophile": ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE – OCTOBER 14, 2023. Lots of detailed and excellent information there on where to go to have the best chance of a cloudless sky.
"October is a friendly month and much of the American part of the track offers very promising prospects of sunny skies on eclipse day."
(NOTE: I set the width of the images to 1000 which is good for computers. Sorry to those on phones and tablets.)
It's a 1,076 mile drive from North Idaho to the Four Corners area. Who is up for a road trip?
I lucked out and had a wonderful viewing location in Oregon for the 2017 eclipse. I wonder if I can luck out again.
7
posted on
10/08/2023 4:41:49 PM PDT
by
ProtectOurFreedom
(“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
To: george76
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Thanks for posting the map. We’re not going to travel for this one, since we saw the annular eclipse in 2012 and the total in 2017. You probably don’t need to go clear to Four Corners yourself; it looks like you could see it in Winnemucca just as well. 4C is nicer country, of course.
To: HartleyMBaldwin
I came through Winnemuca last May on my way from the CA Bay Area to North Idaho. No doubt, 4C is much nicer country, but Winnemuca is a LOT closer — 664 miles rather than close to 1,100.
10
posted on
10/08/2023 5:08:39 PM PDT
by
ProtectOurFreedom
(“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
To: T-Bird45
2024 in IN for me. We saw 2017 in TN.
11
posted on
10/08/2023 5:21:27 PM PDT
by
FreedomPoster
(Islam delenda est)
To: george76
12
posted on
10/08/2023 5:51:09 PM PDT
by
joma89
(Buy weapons and ammo, folks, and have the will to use them.)
To: george76
When one of these passed over my part of the country several years ago it was on a hot summer day.
But the temperature drop during the eclipse was VERY noticeable. Most unusual.
To: george76
I know this isn't what the post is about but 2017 2024 has been mentioned twice here.
14
posted on
10/08/2023 6:59:53 PM PDT
by
conservativeimage
(Divorce the Deep State Peacefully: Become a State National - tasa.americanstatenationals.org)
To: george76
Enjoying the event here in Arizona. It is about 85% blocked at its peak. My room is visibly dark. Enjoying all the crescent shadows formed by the pinhole camera effect by the leaves of trees.
15
posted on
10/14/2023 9:41:18 AM PDT
by
Nateman
(If Mohammad was not the Anti Christ Mad Moe definitely comes in as a Strong second.)
To: george76
In AZ, it was a very nice eclipse and a group of sunspots visible called AR3465. We had perfectly clear cobalt blue skies and 63 degrees at the time of event.
I’ll post some pics after I process the data.
16
posted on
10/14/2023 11:30:58 AM PDT
by
dragnet2
(Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
To: Redcitizen
The funny thing is I was thinking of enjoying the eclipse at 4 corners . Just to say I saw it at 4 states at the same time! I saw a wonderful Ring Of Fire in San Diego in 1992. You could look right at it because it happened at sunset.
17
posted on
10/14/2023 5:42:33 PM PDT
by
Nateman
(If Mohammad was not the Anti Christ Mad Moe definitely comes in as a Strong second.)
To: george76
Don’t look at it, or you’ll go blind ...
... and fall into a ring of burning fire...
Johnny Cash hasn’t been seen since the last eclipse.
18
posted on
10/14/2023 5:48:41 PM PDT
by
x
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