After months of build-up, the “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse will finally grace the U.S. skies on Saturday, October 14. But will the weather ruin your eclipse observation plans?
For many people along the eclipse’s “ring” path, especially in the southwest, the weather forecast for Saturday looks “pretty good.” Brett Anderson, AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist He told USA Today.
For people in the Pacific Northwest, where the eclipse will begin, overcast skies may disrupt visibility, he added.
Generally, weather permitting, the annular eclipse will be visible in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona. NASA said.
“Ring of Fire” eclipse:How to view the Annular Solar event.
Weather forecast for the annular solar eclipse for October 2023
“The storm system will approach the Pacific Northwest where I expect a lot of cloud cover,” he said Saturday. Weather.com Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari. This will make it difficult to view the eclipse in Oregon and Northern California.
Furthermore, he said there will likely be some patchy clouds in parts of the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest, “but I think for the most part you should be OK out there, get a good look at them.” Sarsalari added that “you’ll have a beautiful view” of the southern plains, which includes Texas.
Will clouds obscure the partial eclipse?
Elsewhere, for a partial eclipse, heavy cloud cover across the eastern half of the United States from a large storm system will likely obstruct visibility there. There will be “a lot of clouds and rain from parts of the Great Lakes all the way up the East Coast to the Southeast,” Sarsalari said.
Solar eclipse map for October 2023
The majority of the United States will be able to view part of the eclipse in some form. The map below shows the percentage of the area of the Sun covered by the Moon during the eclipse.
Do clouds spoil viewing the eclipse?
He said that with cloud cover, the effect of the eclipse will be faint, depending on the level of cloud cover University of Oregon astronomy professor Scott Fisher.
“If there are cirrus clouds or we have light morning fog on Saturday, we may still be able to see the moon moving in front of the sun and the ‘ring of fire’ when it is fully in front of the sun,” Fisher said. .
“It will depend entirely on how dense the clouds are. If they are heavy rain clouds…it’s only when the moon moves in front of the sun that we’ll be able to see the sky getting darker. I think we’ll be able to pick that up.” “It’s getting darker even with the clouds,” he added.
more:A stunning solar eclipse will darken the sky on Saturday. Will the one in April be better?
What is an annular eclipse?
It is also known as the “Ring of Fire” eclipse, which is an annular eclipse of the sun that occurs when the Moon is at or near the furthest point from Earth, according to the American “space” website. NASA.
Because the Moon is farther away than it is during a total solar eclipse, the Moon appears smaller and does not completely block the Sun when it passes in front of our star. Instead, the moon leaves a bright ring of the sun visible at the height of the eclipse, creating a ring of fire effect, NASA said.
Appropriate safety glasses must be worn
As with any partial or annular eclipse, you should wear appropriate safety glasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Chris Sirola said that under no circumstances should anyone look at the eclipse without glasses equipped with special lenses designed to view the eclipse. Astronomer at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Contributing: Zach Orness, Salem (Oregon) Statesman Journal; Brian BroomeMississippi Clarion Ledger
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