'Ring of fire': NASA to live stream annular solar eclipse
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The annular solar eclipse illustrates a view referred to as the “ring of fire” – a thin outer ring of the Sun. It occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth at its farthest point from our planet, according to NASA.
The space agency announced that the annular solar eclipse will traverse a 125-mile (200-kilometer) wide path on October 14. The ring is estimated to stretch from North, Central, and South America.
Visible across parts of the Americas
It will be visible in some areas in the countries – the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and others in the South and Central American regions. Millions of people will be able to witness the sight.
NASA warns people to wear specialized eye protection for solar viewing since staring at the Sun directly during an annular eclipse is unsafe. As the Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon when such an eclipse occurs, it is recommended to use a viewing method, for instance, a pinhole projector.
Usually, eclipses happen during the new Moon phase, implying that the moon appears dark because it rises and sets with the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is close and fully covering the Sun, consequently darkening the sky.
In contrast, annular eclipses occur during apogee, where the farther Moon appears slightly smaller, leaving a ring of Sun visible, forming a "ring of fire" effect without complete darkness.
Space.com described the effect as: “The lunar disk doesn't completely obscure the sun, it instead leaves the edges of our star "poking out" from behind the moon, thus creating the effect of a blazing golden ring of fire in the sky. This also doesn't cause a complete darkening of the sky.”
Ring of fire affects visibility
The Moon is expected to conceal 91 percent of the Sun, Space.com reported, while the ring of fire effect will be visible from Oregon through northern California, northeast Nevada, central Utah, northeast Arizona, southwest Colorado, central New Mexico, and southern Texas. These locations are with the 118 to 137-mile (190- 220-kilometer) wide "path of annularity" of the eclipse.
Along with parts of the US, the eclipse will be observable from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil.
NASA said that people in the US can observe the eclipse from around 9:15 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. in local time zones. The duration of the annular phase of the eclipse can vary, ranging from approximately 30 seconds to well over 5 minutes, depending on the viewer's location.
The space agency plans to live-stream the annular eclipse on YouTube; however, Xavier Jubier, a French eclipse expert, will allow watchers to engage in an interactive map. NASA, too, has launched a 3D map.
The live stream is set to commence on October 14 at 11:30 a.m. EDT (15:30 GMT) and ends at 1:15 p.m. EDT (17:15 GMT). It will also stream on NASA's website and the space agency's app, Space.com stated.
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