On October 14, 2023, the world will witness a rare and spectacular event: a ring of fire solar eclipse. A ring of fire solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, but the Moon is too small to completely block the Sun’s disk. This creates a ring of fire around the Moon. Ring of fire solar eclipses are relatively rare, occurring only a few times each decade. The October 14, 2023 eclipse will be the first ring of fire solar eclipse visible from the United States since 2017.

What To Expect

A ring of fire solar eclipse typically lasts for about a few minutes. The eclipse will begin with the Moon entering the Sun’s disk. As the Moon enters the Sun’s disk, it will begin to block the Sun’s light. Once the Moon is partially covering the Sun, it will create a crescent-shaped shadow on the Earth. This crescent-shaped shadow is called the umbra. As the Moon continues to move in front of the Sun, the umbra will grow larger. The umbra will eventually reach its maximum size, and this is when the ring of fire will occur.

The ring of fire will last for a few minutes. After that, the Moon will begin to move out of the Sun’s disk and the eclipse will end.

Where To Watch Eclipse

The ring of fire solar eclipse will be visible from a narrow path that crosses the United States, Mexico, and Central America. The best places to watch the eclipse will be from places where the sky is clear and there is little light pollution. If you live in an area where the eclipse will be visible, be sure to find a dark place to watch it from. In Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, as well as parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona, will be able to see the moon almost completely cover the sun, creating the effect of a fiery, orange-hued ring around the moon’s shadow.

WARNING: You shouldn’t ever look at the sun directly, even tomorrow during the solar eclipse. You need special eyewear to view the sun directly, or else you will go blind. You’ve been warned.