A rare solar eclipse will happen this week on 14th October 2023, skygazers are excited to witness this moment. This unique solar eclipse won’t occur again until 2046 which makes it a must watch event. This is a rare ‘Annular’ solar eclipse which will make the sun look like a “Ring of Fire”.
Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse is a natural phenomena that occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and conceals the view of the Sun from some places on earth. It can block the view completely or partially. In a total eclipse the moon covers the Sun completely and therefore obscures the view whereas in a partial or annular solar eclipse, the sun is partly covered. Unlike a lunar eclipse which is visible from any part of the world, a solar eclipse can only be visible from some part of the earth.
Every year two to five solar eclipses take place and a total eclipse occurs every 18 months but the visibility depends where we are in the world because as the Earth rotates the Moon’s shadow on Earth shifts from west to east. When this alignment of the Moon, Earth and the Sun occurs it is called the eclipse season.
There are about four types of solar eclipse –
- Total eclipse – A total eclipse happens when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s view from Earth.
- Annular eclipse – It Happens when the Moon covers the center of the Sun.
- Hybrid eclipse – It happens when an eclipse shifts between Total and annular eclipse due to the curvature of earth’s surface.
- Partial eclipse – It happens when the Sun appears in a crescent shape as the Moon, Sun and Earth don’t perfectly align allowing only a part of the Sun to be visible.
Ring Of Fire : Annular Solar Eclipse 2023
The rare annular solar eclipse which is set to occur on Saturday will make the Sun look like a “Ring of Fire” which means the Moon will cover the center part of the Sun.
In an annular solar eclipse, the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth but as it stays at its farthest point, it appears to be small and cannot fully cover the view of the Sun and thus, covers the center part and makes it look like Ring of Fire.
Visibility
The rare “Ring of fire” annular solar eclipse will grace the skies this Saturday, 14th October 2023. However, the skygazers in India won’t be able to experience this astronomical event but can watch it live.
This unique event will be visible in various regions of the U.S, Mexico, and other countries in South and Central America.
Millions of people will witness the dazzling astronomical event in western hemisphere.
Safe Ways To Watch Annular Solar Eclipse
According to studies, it is advised not to look at solar eclipse directly without proper eye protection as it may cause retinal burns or eclipse blindness, such exposure to light can possibly harm the retina of the eye.
The safest way to view a solar eclipse is to use solar filters similar to eclipse glasses, the only time to view the eclipse without the glasses is during 2 to 4 minutes of total or annular eclipse.
General Tips –
- Always use the ISO marked solar filters, don’t use scratched or damaged glasses and damaged frames.
- Put the eclipse glasses on or hold a handheld solar viewer before looking at the Sun.
- Remember to remove the glasses only when you are looking away from the eclipse.
- You can only view the eclipse without eye protection in case of total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the Sun.
