Starting on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 14 an annular, or partial, solar eclipse will pass over the United States, as well as Central and South America.
Millions of Americans will be able to witness this phenomenon, but only a handful of cities in the “path of annularity,” or the area where the maximum amount of obscuration occurs, will see the mesmerizing “ring of fire.” This occurs when the moon aligns perfectly with the sun, leaving only the sun’s burning rim visible.
The 2023 solar eclipse will stream live in a player at the top of this article for those well outside of the path of annularity, but if you’re planning on breaking out the eclipse glasses and seeing it for yourself, this map shows viewing times for a number of cities:
If you’re not within the 150-mile-wide path of annularity, you can still witness a partial view of the eclipse. The 80-90% range includes portions of states like California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Idaho. States with a 70-80% view include parts of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, California, and Arizona.
In the U.S., the annular eclipse will start at 9:13 a.m. PDT in Oregon and will last be visible in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CDT before moving on to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, according to NASA.
The partial eclipse will start and end later. For example, in Eugene, Oregon, the partial eclipse begins at 8:06 a.m. PDT, while annularity starts at 9:16 a.m., reaching its maximum two minutes later. The partial eclipse in Eugene ends at 10:39 a.m. PDT.
To watch a solar eclipse safely, it’s crucial to shield your eyes when looking at the sun. Be especially cautious when using any devices typically used for long-distance viewing.
“Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury,” NASA warns.
Because the sun is never fully covered during an annular eclipse, it is never safe to view it with the naked eye. When planning to view or photograph the eclipse on Saturday, ensure that your eyes are protected.
Eclipse glasses, which are thousands of times darker than normal sunglasses, are one way of safely viewing an eclipse. If you pick up a pair before Oct. 14, make sure they are undamaged and comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Remember, even your darkest sunglasses aren’t close to sufficient.
If glasses are not available, you can try an indirect viewing method to observe the eclipse without staring at the sun. For example, you can punch a hole in an index card and use that hole to project an image of the sun onto a nearby surface, without directly looking through the hole at the sun.