Rare ‘ring of fire’ eclipse will be visible in the US for the first time in over a decade
A rare 'ring of fire' eclipse will be visible in the US for the first time in over a decade.
The exciting solar event will travel across the United States slap-bang in the middle of spooky season from Oregon to Texas.
The exciting event occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but appears too small to completely cover the Sun’s surface - resulting in what appears as a ring of fire in the sky. Have a look:
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Also known as an annular solar eclipse, NASA has announced: "Everyone in the contiguous 48 states will have the opportunity to see at least a partial eclipse."
The event will commence on 14 October at 12:13 pm ET in Oregon and will conclude just three hours later in Texas.
Eight lucky states will be in the path of the eclipse; Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas.
Michael Zeiler, cartographer and eclipse-chaser at GreatAmericanEclipse.com, has offered some tips on catching the cosmic wonder.
He told Space.com that people using eclipse glasses will clearly see a 'brilliant ring of sunlight' during the eclipse, adding: "I would recommend the U.S. 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 the winter storms."
This event marks the first time in 11 long years that an annular solar eclipse has been visible in North America.
Other eclipses see the Moon completely block out the Sun's light for a temporary amount of time but, in an annular eclipse, the Moon is too far from Earth to totally cover the Sun.
Due to this, the Moon will be perfectly positioned to allow a bright ring of light or 'fire' to shine through making for a pretty incredible sight.
However, if you are planning on keeping your peepers peeled to catch the event, be sure to take precautious safety measures.
"During an annular eclipse," NASA advises. "It is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing."
Looking directly at the Sun, even when partially eclipsed, can result in some pretty drastic eye damage.
Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, echoed: "Never look at the Sun directly or use standard sunglasses, it can cause serious harm to your eyes."
Binoculars, telescopes and camera lenses are also not entirely safe but - not to worry - as sky-gazers can fashion themselves a simple pinhole projector to view the spectacle.
"You can make a projector by poking a small hole into a piece of card," said Dr Drabek-Maunder.
You effectively hold the card towards the Sun so it shines through the hole onto a piece of paper placed behind the card.
She added: "You will be able to see the shape of the Sun projected onto the piece of paper and watch its shape change as the Moon passes in front of the Sun."
Now that's some DIY I can get behind.
Rhiannon Ingle