A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned in just the right spot between the sun and the Earth to block the sun from our view. However, the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle, but slightly elliptical. An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, or apogee. That makes it appear slightly smaller than the sun.
During full annularity, or the maximum phase of the eclipse, the size differences make visible an orange halo around the moon — the so-called “ring of fire.”
Where can I see the annular solar eclipse?
The best places to see the eclipse are along the path of annularity, at locations that lie within the shadow of the moon during this time. The New York Times has published a map that shows the solar eclipse’s approximate path.
Some cities in the United States on or near this path are Eugene, Ore.; Ely and Battle Mountain in Nevada; Richfield, Utah; Roswell and Albuquerque in New Mexico; and cities in Texas like Midland, San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Outside of the United States, cities that will experience annularity include Campeche and Chetumal in Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Olanchito, Honduras; Cali, Colombia; and Tefé and João Pessoa in Brazil.
Many major cities are not in the path of annularity, but will experience a significant partial eclipse. They include Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Houston in the United States, as well as Mexico City, Bogotá in Colombia, Rio de Janeiro and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
When does the annular eclipse begin and end?
The eclipse will start over the Pacific Ocean, 1,200 miles northwest of the U.S. mainland, at dawn.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Oregon as early as 11:05 a.m. Eastern time. There, annularity will occur around 12:16 p.m. and sweep across the nation for the next couple of hours. The annular eclipse will cross over the Texas coastline around 12:58 p.m. Eastern time.
It enters Mexico around 1:21 p.m. and passes over Central and South America for over two hours before ending on the coast of Brazil at 3:48 p.m. Eastern time.
What do I need to see the eclipse?
You should never look directly at the sun without appropriate protective eye gear during an annular or partial solar eclipse. At the least, use paper eclipse glasses from a reputable vendor.
If you can’t get your hands on special gear, you can watch the annular eclipse indirectly using a pinhole camera. This can be as simple as making a crisscross pattern with your fingers or punching a hole in an index card to see an image of the eclipse projected onto the ground. For a more sophisticated option, you can make a box pinhole projector using common household items.