Tomorrow, Saturday, October 14th, the annular ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse will glow in North America.
According to NASA, an annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth.
Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and doesn’t completely cover it. As a result, the Moon appears as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the Moon–hence the name ‘Ring of Fire.’
Tomorrow, the new moon will cover only 91% of the sun.
All of North America (along with Central America and most of South America) will get to experience this astronomical event. Though to New Yorkers the spectacle will appear as just a partial solar eclipse, and we unfortunately won’t get a chance to actually see the Ring of Fire phenomenon, according to Space.com
Nonetheless, New Yorkers have the chance to catch the partial solar eclipse starting at 12:09 p.m. when the moon begins to cover the right side of the sun, according to Time and Date. The eclipse will last 2 hours and 27 minutes, ending at 2:36 p.m. and reaching its peak at 1:22 p.m.
To safely view this event, you must use solar filters at all times whether your location is experiencing a partial solar eclipse or an annular solar eclipse.