Part of Earth will be hit by the Ring of Fire solar eclipse tomorrow – here’s what you need to know

TIME.CO, Jakarta – Millions of people in America will be able to watch an astronomical show on Saturday US time or Sunday WIB, October 15, 2023, with solar eclipse. Weather permitting, the moon will appear to pass in front of the sun.

This eclipse will be visible along a path covering parts of the United States, Mexico, and several countries in Central and South America.

The following is an explanation of the type of solar eclipse that will occur and where it will appear, as cited by Reuters.

What is a recurring solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the earth and the sun, thus blocking the view along the earth’s small path of part or all of the face of the sun as it passes.

The solar eclipse that will occur this Saturday is a type called an annular solar eclipse. This occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun when the moon is at its furthest or closest point from our planet. A solar eclipse does not completely obscure the face of the sun, unlike a total solar eclipse.

According to the United States space agency, NASA, the path in the United States that will be the place of maximum dimming of the sun on Saturday, US time, or Sunday WIB passes through different parts of several states starting at 9:13 am PDT ( 12.13pm EDT/ 4.13pm GMT) in Oregon, then California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The route then passes through parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Brazil before ending at sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. People in larger areas of North America, Central America, and South America will be able to see less sunlight, which is still an impressive sight.

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How big are the earth, moon and sun?

The Moon will nearly cover the surface of the Sun, as seen from Earth, simply because the Moon – which is actually much smaller than the Sun – is much closer to our planet. The Moon’s diameter is 3,476 km (2,159 miles), compared to the Sun’s diameter of about 1.4 million km (865,000 miles) and the Earth’s diameter of 12,742 km (7,918 miles).

Experts warn that it is not safe to look directly at the bright sun without using special eye protection designed for sun viewing, risking eye injury. Since the sun is never completely covered by the moon during an annular solar eclipse, it is not safe to look directly at the moon without eye protection.

According to these experts, viewing it through a camera lens, binoculars or telescope without using a special solar filter can cause serious eye injury. They recommend always wearing protective sunglasses or a safe portable solar tracker at all times during an annular solar eclipse, stressing that regular sunglasses are not safe for looking at the sun.

Lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is between the moon and the sun and our planet’s shadow covers the moon’s surface. This causes the Moon to appear dim when viewed from Earth, sometimes with a reddish tint. A lunar eclipse is visible from half the earth, its area is much larger than a solar eclipse.

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