Don’t miss the amazing ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse

On Thursday, June 10, 2021, people in the Northern Hemisphere will have the opportunity to experience an annular or partial solar eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow over the earth and blocking some or all of the sun’s light in some areas. During an annular eclipse, the Moon is far enough from Earth that the Moon appears smaller than the Sun in the sky. Since the moon does not completely block the sun’s view, it will appear as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk. This creates what appears to be a ring of fire around the moon. People in parts of Canada, Greenland and northern Russia will experience the annular eclipse.

Annular eclipse on May 20, 2012. Credit: Dale Cruikshank

In some places, viewers will not be able to see this ring around the moon. Instead, they will experience a partial eclipse. This happens when the sun, moon and earth are not perfectly aligned. The sun will appear to have a dark shadow on only part of its surface. Viewers in parts of the eastern United States and northern Alaska will see a partial eclipse on June 10, along with much of Canada, parts of the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

In the United States, there will be a partial eclipse visible along parts of the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, and northern Alaska. At many of these locations, the eclipse will occur before, during, and shortly after sunrise. This means that viewers must have a clear view of the horizon during sunrise to view the eclipse.

Imagining the moon’s shadow during the annular eclipse of the sun on June 10, 2021 with antumbra (black ovals), semi-shadow (concentric shaded ovals) and annular path (red) Images of the sun show its appearance at a number of locations, each focused on the local horizon. attributed to him: NASAScientific Visualization Studio / Ernie Wright

To see when the eclipse will be visible in certain areas, click anywhere on the map here. (Note that the maximum dimming and maximum eclipse timing observed on this map can occur before sunrise in many locations.)

This map of the eclipse path shows where the annular and partial eclipses will occur on June 10, 2021. Click to enlarge.
Krediet: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio / Ernie Wright

To learn more about eclipses, how to watch them safely, and fun eclipse activities, download this factsheet:
Fact sheet about solar eclipse

How do you safely see an annular or partial solar eclipse?

It is never safe to look directly at the sun’s rays, even if the sun is partially or largely obscured. When viewing a partial or annular eclipse, you must wear sunglasses or eclipse glasses throughout the entire eclipse if you want to look at the sun. Sunglasses or eclipses are not ordinary sunglasses; Regular sunglasses are not safe when looking at the sun.

This time interval shows an annular eclipse as seen by JAXA’s Hinode satellite on January 4, 2011. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon, slightly further from Earth than average, moves directly between Earth and the Sun, and thus appears slightly smaller to observers. . eyes; The effect is a bright ring, or ring of sunlight, around the silhouette of the moon. credit: NASA

If you don’t have sunglasses or eclipse glasses, you can use an alternate, indirect method, such as a pinhole projector. Pinhole projectors should not be used to look directly at the sun, but to project sunlight onto the surface. Read a guide to creating a hole viewer.

Stay safe and enjoy the amazing solar power displays by making your own hacked binoculars with a few simple supplies. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center