HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — On Saturday, October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse.
For the Huntsville area, the partial solar eclipse will begin at 10:38 AM, reach maximum at 12:07 PM, and come to an end at 1:40 PM, making it a three hours and one minute duration.
During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to directly look at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. You can review these safety guidelines to prepare for October 14, 2023.
An annular eclipse, not to be confused a total or partial solar eclipse, with happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the star. This creates a "ring of fire" effect in the sky. Because the Sun is never completely covered, observers must wear proper eye protection at all times while watching the annular eclipse.
What you'll be able to see during the annular eclipse will depend on the weather and the location from where you will watch it.
You will need a clear view of the Sun and Moon to see the eclipse. However, even with cloud cover, the eerie daytime darkness associated with eclipses is still noticeable. To see all phases of the annular eclipse, you must view it from somewhere along the path of annularity, which is the locations on Earth from which the Moon will appear to pass across the center of the Sun.
The upcoming annular eclipse will begin in the United States, traveling from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast. 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. The Huntsville area will have about a 50-60% viewing of the annular eclipse.
The annular eclipse will continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Panama. In South America, the eclipse will travel through Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean.
This is the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from the United States until June 21, 2039. Alaska is the only United States' state in the path for that eclipse.