Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023: North America will experience an annular solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
NASA reports that approximately 11 years after a similar solar eclipse traversed the American Southwest on May 20, 2012, this one will be visible from a similar region, spanning eight states from Oregon to Texas.
During an annular solar eclipse, the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun, preventing it from completely obscuring the sun’s disk. The result is a stunning “ring of fire.” Here is all the information you need about this rare event.
We have also outlined where and when the annular solar eclipse of 2023 can be observed in person and online. The ‘belt of fire’ should not be overlooked!
What Exactly is an Solar Eclipse?
This eclipse will not darken the sky like the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse did. When a new moon is precisely positioned between Earth and the sun and casts its shadow on Earth, a solar eclipse occurs.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears relatively small in the sky and therefore does not completely cover the sun’s disk, leaving a thin outer ring commonly known as a “ring of fire.”
The moon’s distance from Earth determines whether or not it can completely obscure the sun’s disk. The moon’s orbit around the Earth is slightly elliptical, so at two periods each month, it is farthest (apogee) and closest (perigee) to the planet, making it appear slightly smaller and slightly larger than usual in our sky.
On October 14, 2023, the new moon will appear comparatively small and, as a result, will obscure only 91% of the sun’s disk when viewed from the limited annularity path extending from Oregon to Texas and beyond.
Where Can You Sight The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023?
On October 14, 2023, the entire continents of North and Central America, as well as the majority of South America, will experience a solar eclipse. This region will experience a partial solar eclipse with variable degrees of obscuration. The ring of fire is only visible within the path of annularity, which is 118 to 137 miles (190 to 220 kilometers) wide. This route will traverse northern California, northeast Nevada, central Utah, northeast Arizona, southwest Colorado, central New Mexico, and southern Texas, beginning in Oregon and ending in Texas. After crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the storm will proceed over Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil.
The point of maximum eclipse, where a ring of fire will be visible for 5 minutes and 17 seconds, will occur between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. This interactive map created by French eclipse expert Xavier Jubier depicts the precise path of annularity.
Where To Watch Ring Of Fire in North America?
Due to Navajo cultural beliefs surrounding the event, all Navajo Tribal Parks will be closed from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MDT on October 14, 2023. This was announced in September 2023. This consists of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park, and portions of the Tséyi’ Diné Heritage Area within Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Additionally, local businesses may be closed. Please plan accordingly for your eclipse observing excursion.
The most scenic locations to see the ring of fire are in the U.S. Southwest and at the Mayan temple at Edzná on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. According to Jubier, the following locations and cities will experience a ring of fire, along with the local time and duration of the event. All of these locations will also experience a lengthy partial solar eclipse before and after the fleeting ‘ring of fire’; their proximity to the centerline of the annularity path determines the duration of the ‘ring of fire’:
- 9:15 a.m. PDT; 4 minutes and 29 seconds in Oregon Dunes, Oregon.
- Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park: 9:17 a.m. PDT; 4 minutes and 19 seconds
- 9:19 a.m. PDT at Lava Beds National Monument, California; 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, plus 2 minutes and 31 seconds
- Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park: 10:27 AM MDT; 4 minutes and 37 seconds
- 2 minutes and 24 seconds have passed since 10:29 AM MDT in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
- Utah’s Natural Bridges National Monument: 10:29 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes and 29 seconds
- Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park: 10:31 a.m. MDT; 2 minutes and 57 seconds
- New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Park: 10:32 a.m. MDT; 4 minutes and 42 seconds
- Albuquerque, New Mexico: 10:34 a.m. local time (MDT); 4 minutes and 42 seconds
- San Antonio: 11:52 a.m. CDT with a delay of 4 minutes and 5 seconds
- Corpus Christi, Texas: 11:55 a.m. Central Daylight Time; 4 minutes and 52 seconds
- Padre Island National Seashore, Texas: 11:56 a.m. CDT; 4 minutes, 52 seconds
- Edzná Maya archaeological site, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: 11:23 a.m.
- Central Standard Time; 4 minutes and 32 seconds
Although it’s a wonderful excuse to travel to new places, clear weather is the most essential factor for eclipse viewing. Check the climate and weather before making a decision, and be willing to alter your location when local short-term weather forecasts become available.
Although it is primarily viewed as a precursor to the 2024 total solar eclipse, the annular solar eclipse of 2023 is a wonderful opportunity for eclipse chasers who have not yet witnessed an annular solar eclipse.
As with all eclipses, it is essential to be in the path of the moon’s shadow’s center if you wish to witness the event for as long as feasible. This involves positioning yourself on or close to the centerline. However, experienced eclipse chasers will travel to the northern border of the path, to places such as Dolores, Colorado, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, to witness a much shorter but arguably more spectacular spectacle.
In these locations, a disk of fire will be visible for only a few seconds. However, it will be less circular, and one border of the moon will appear to nearly obscure the sun. During the annularity phase, it may be possible to see the “Baily’s beads” rim around the moon, just as during a total solar eclipse.
Where To Watch The Semi-Solar Eclipse?
A partial solar eclipse appears as a red sun with a moon-shaped “bite” in the upper right quadrant. The sun is positioned in the heavens above a boat-filled body of water.
Satish Bate captured the partial solar eclipse gleaming above a yacht from Marin Drive in Mumbai, India. (Photo courtesy of Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Although the ring of fire will receive a great deal of attention, few people will travel to observe an annular solar eclipse. In any case, these events pale in comparison to total solar eclipses. On October 14, 2023, a large partial solar eclipse will be visible across the majority of the Americas. On that day, the 10 largest U.S. cities will experience the following; only one will see the ring of fire:
- At 1:12 p.m. in New York, the percentage was 23%. EDT
- 71% in Los Angeles at 9:24 AM PDT
- 43% in Chicago as of 11:58 a.m. CDT
- 75% in Houston at 11:58 a.m. CDT
- 79% in Phoenix as of 9:31 AM MST
- Philadelphia: 2 percent at 1:21 p.
- “Ring of fire” at 11:52 a.m. CDT in San Antonio.
- 68% a.m. in San Diego at 9:26 PDT
- 80% in Dallas at 11:52 a.m. CDT
- 75% in San Jose, California at 9:20 AM PDT
How To View The Semi and Annular Solar Eclipse Safely?
Solar eclipse glasses are an excellent method to observe the sun safely when used properly. (Photo: Daniel MacDonald / www.dmacphoto.com via Getty Images))
To view this event safely, you must always wear solar filters. The hazards are identical regardless of whether your location will experience a partial solar eclipse or an annular solar eclipse. In reality, a “ring of fire” is nothing more than an exceptionally beautiful partial solar eclipse, as the new moon will never cover more than 91% of the sun’s disk. Observers will need to don solar eclipse glasses, and cameras, telescopes and binoculars must have solar filters situated in front of their lenses at all times.
Our guide on how to safely observe the sun explains everything you need to know about safe solar observations.
When Will The Next Annular Solar Eclipse, Ring Of Fire Occur?
The next annular solar eclipse will occur on October 2, 2024, and will be visible from the Pacific Ocean, southern Chile, and southern Argentina. At the site of greatest eclipse in the ocean, the ring of fire will last 7 minutes and 25 seconds, but Easter Island (Rapa Nui), located approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) off the western coast of Chile, will be the finest viewing location. There, it will be possible to see a ring of fire for up to 6 minutes and 9 seconds while standing among the many carved moai monuments on the remote volcanic island.
