The “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse will cross the Americas on Saturday with millions along the path

Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday’s rare “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse.

The so-called annular solar eclipse – known as the Ring of Fire – will briefly darken the sky over parts of the western United States and Central and South America.

Since the Moon is located exactly between the Earth and the Sun, it will block everything except the outer edge of the Sun. A bright, glowing outline will appear around the moon for up to five minutes, dazzling skygazers along the way A narrow road that runs from Oregon to Brazil.

The celestial display will cause a partial eclipse in the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

From there, the Ring of Fire will cross Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and finally Brazil before its grand finale over the Atlantic Ocean.

The entire eclipse — from the moment the moon begins to obscure the sun until it returns to normal — will last anywhere from two and a half to three hours. The Ring of Fire portion lasts three to five minutes, depending on the location.

Where can the eclipse be seen?

In the United States alone, more than 6.5 million people live along the so-called ring path, with another 68 million within 200 miles (322 kilometers), according to planetary scientist Alex Lockwood of NASA. “So, within a few hours’ drive, more than 70 million people could witness this amazing celestial alignment,” she said.

Meanwhile, the crescent-shaped partial eclipse will be visible in every US state, although it rarely occurs in Hawaii, provided the sky is clear. Canada, Central America, and most of South America will also see a partial eclipse. The closer we are to the ring of the path of fire, the larger the Moon’s bite from the Sun.

I can not see it? NASA and others will provide a live stream From the eclipse.

How to protect your eyes during an eclipse

Make sure to use safe and approved Solar eclipse glassesLockwood stressed. Sunglasses are not enough to prevent eye damage. Proper protection is needed throughout the eclipse, from the initial partial phase through the ring of fire to the final partial phase.

There are other options if you don’t have eclipse glasses. You can look indirectly with the pinhole tourch You can make your own, including those made with… Cereal box.

Cameras – including those on cell phones – and binoculars or telescopes need special solar filters mounted on the front.

Double vision

One area of ​​Texas near San Antonio will be within range of Saturday’s eclipse and next April’s eclipse, with Kerrville near the center. It is one of the sites that hosts NASA live streams.

“Is Kerrville excited? Absolutely!!!” Mayor Jodi Eichner said in an email. “And NASA being here is just the icing on the cake!!!”

With Saturday’s solar eclipse coinciding with art, music and river festivals, Eichner expects Kerrville’s population of 25,000 to double or even quadruple.

Where is the total eclipse in April?

The total solar eclipse in April will cross the United States in the opposite direction. It will start in the Pacific Ocean and head through Mexico to Texas, then pass over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, the northern ends of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, before passing through Canada into the North Atlantic Ocean. In New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Almost all of these places were missed during a coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in the United States in 2017.

It will be 2039 before another Ring of Fire appears in the United States, and Alaska will be the only state at that time in the path of the total eclipse. It will be 2046 before another ring of fire crosses the lower 48 United States. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen elsewhere: the southern tip of South America will get another ring of fire next October, and Antarctica in 2026.

Pursuing science

NASA and others plan to conduct a large number of observations during both eclipses, with rockets and hundreds of balloons flying by.

“It will be absolutely amazing for science,” said NASA astrophysicist Madhulika Guhathakurta.

Aroh Barjatya of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will help launch three NASA-funded sonic rockets from the White Sands Rocket Range in New Mexico before, during and after Saturday’s eclipse. The goal is to learn how the eclipse releases atmospheric waves into the ionosphere about 200 miles (320 kilometers) high that could disrupt communications.

Barjatya will be out in the ring of fire on Saturday. It will miss the full eclipse in April, during the rocket launch from Wallops Island in Virginia.

“But the bittersweet moment of not seeing the ring or the kidney will definitely be compensated by the return of the flag,” he said.

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