On Wednesday, October 2nd, an annular solar eclipse, known as a “ring of fire,” will be visible over Easter Island as well as the tip of Argentina and Chile.
But what exactly is an annular solar eclipse?
Solar eclipses occur when the sun, moon, and Earth align just right. The moon casts a shadow, which can partially or completely block the sun’s light.
During an annular eclipse, the moon blocks all but a ring-shaped sliver of the sun. This is because the moon is at a more distant point in its orbit from Earth.
“The moon is simply not large enough to cover the sun,” explains Dr. Carolyn Sumners, vice president of astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
According to Sumners, the eclipse will occur mostly over water in the Pacific.
“95% of the time, this annular eclipse will occur over water. So you need to get your boat to the right place. As a result, most people will miss it—it only appears 5% of the time over land. However, this eclipse crosses Easter Island, the most remote inhabited place on the planet, with its massive statues—a marvellous place to visit in and of itself. Dr. Sumners describes it as an unusual eclipse.
Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Hawaii can see a partial solar eclipse, which causes the sun to appear as a crescent.
“It will begin before noon on Easter Island and end at 2:50, shortly before 3 p.m. At its peak, the moon will be in front of the sun, moving across it for approximately six minutes, a phenomenon known as “angularity.” And it is not a total eclipse. It is an annular eclipse, so you will need glasses to protect your eyes, but it is an unusual event made even more unusual by the unusual location from which to observe it,” says Dr. Sumners.
Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is well-known for its Moai, or human-shaped monolithic statues.
Solar eclipses occur between two and five times per year, but they are only visible from locations under the moon’s narrow shadow.
In April, North America saw a total solar eclipse.
For Dr. Sumners, the magical sight of an eclipse is not the only special thing about the event.
“The most important thing about an eclipse is the experience of it. And you can have that experience any time there is an eclipse; you just have to kind of be an eclipse chaser, and it’ll take you to wonderful places all over the earth,” she says.
“Take family with you; take something special to happen, because you’ll be doing this at a time you can always calibrate. It’s a way to chronicle your life, to use the eclipses and the stories that will be spun and the photographs that will be made associated with each one,” Sumners continues.
Although witnessing an eclipse is an exciting and fun event, safety must always come first.
Looking directly at the sun can cause eye damage, even when most of it is covered.
The upcoming annular eclipse is safe to spot wearing solar eclipse glasses, which block out ultraviolet light from the sun and nearly all visible light. Sunglasses or binoculars won’t cut it.
Safe eclipse glasses should say they comply with ISO 12312-2 standards.
“It really is dangerous when we want to see the moon; we want to see that so much; you really have to filter it out. So the only time you don’t use some kind of filtration is at totality. Even 95% covered, like what we would see right before totality, it’s not really safe. Because what is there is as bright as it’s never been. And if you stare at it, maybe it’s a smaller piece of your retina you’re fooling with of your eye, but it’s still a problem,” explains Sumners.
“So you have to wear the glasses, except when the moon completely covers the photosphere of the sun.”
As totality is not achieved during an annular eclipse, it is advised to wear solar eclipse glasses throughout the event.
If you can’t get your hands on solar eclipse glasses, you can still enjoy the spectacle indirectly.
Dr. Sumners suggests making a pinhole projector using household materials.
“The easiest one for most people to make was to take a tall family-size cereal box and let light come in a quarter, say half of the top of the cereal box; that is where you look in, and the other half would have a pinhole in it, giving you an image of the sun at the back, inside the box,” she says.
Following October 2nd’s “ring of fire” eclipse, two partial solar eclipses will bring crescent suns to parts of North America, Europe, West Africa, and Antarctica the following year.
In addition, beginning March 13, two total lunar eclipses in 2025 will turn the moon red.
Iceland,The next total solar eclipse won’t arrive until 2026 and will pass over the northern fringes of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain.
