Earlier today parts of the U. S Southwest saw a « ring of fire » at the peak of a big partial annular solar eclipse enjoyed by the entire nation. Next comes totality.
Earlier today parts of the U.S Southwest saw a “ring of fire” at the peak of a big partial annular solar eclipse enjoyed by the entire nation. It was a grand sight indeed, but it was but a warm-up to another, much more important celestial alignment happening on Monday, April 8 next year—a total eclipse of the sun.
Don’t get the two celestial sights confused. They’re so different. Both are, for the most part, identical events—partial solar eclipses that require solar eclipse glasses and filters to see and photograph safely.
For those inside a narrow path—which this weekend went through the U.S. Southwest—a “ring of fire” could only be seen safely through eclipse glasses.
In April, those inside another narrow path from Mexico through Texas to the U.S. Northeast and Canada can remove their eclipse glasses for a few minutes as totality strikes. With all of the sun blocked by the moon for a few minutes it will get dark—and that’s just for starters.Profound Moment
Totality is a profound moment because it’s possible to see, just for a few minutes, the sun’s majestic corona, its spiky white outer atmosphere. It’s like seeing the sun for the first time—a star hanging in space, looking like a black hole in the sky.
A total solar eclipse is something that happens in the same place on the planet on average once every 400 years or so, but there’s nothing average about the total solar eclipse coming to the U.
