If you’re eager to witness this week’s ‘ring of fire’ eclipse – and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t be – NASA has introduced a new online tool that enables you to track the path of this cosmic phenomenon in real time across North, Central, and South America.
This tool, named the NASA 2023 Eclipse Explorer, is entirely interactive, granting you the ability to zoom in and out and toggle through layers to monitor the eclipse’s path as seen from the Earth’s surface.
Annular eclipses, technically speaking, occur every year or two, but not everyone has the opportunity to observe them. This marks the first time an eclipse of this kind is visible in the US since 2012, and the next one won’t occur until 2046.
Scientifically known as annular eclipses, they get their name from their ring-like shape. They happen when the Moon is at its farthest point from the Sun in its elliptical orbit, causing it to appear slightly smaller than the Sun when observed from Earth. When this somewhat smaller-looking Moon passes in front of the Sun, a glimpse of the star’s corona forms a circle – or an annulus – around the Moon’s edge.
For those interested in the precise path of annularity – the location on Earth from which the annular solar eclipse is visible – you can utilize the new NASA 2023 Eclipse Explorer. You can either follow the path in real time with patience or speed it up to 600 times faster using the buttons beneath the map. This tool also lets you explore areas of partial eclipse coverage and identifies where the eclipse will have the longest duration.
While this is a valuable resource for eclipse enthusiasts, there are also other tools available. The Eclipse Simulator, for example, provides a visual representation of how the annular eclipse will appear. Additionally, the Great American Eclipse website offers impressive flyover videos that depict the progression of the path of annularity throughout the day on October 14.
Eclipses, of any type, often yield stunning photographs, whether it’s the total lunar eclipse of May 2021, the total solar eclipse of December 2021, or similar events. Let’s hope this week’s eclipse produces equally breathtaking images.
A word of caution for those planning to gaze skyward on Saturday, October 14, when the annular eclipse will be visible in the United States: ensure that you wear glasses specifically certified for solar eclipse protection.
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