After coming close in 2021, the U.S. will at last get its chance to see a “ring of fire” solar eclipse when, on October 14, 2023, the rare visual phenomenon of a circle of light around the moon is visible during the day from eight U.S states. Everywhere else in the U.S. save for Alaska will see a partial solar eclipse.
“Ring of fire” is the popular name for an annular solar eclipse, but since that so often gets auto-corrected to the meaningless “annual solar eclipse”—and comes from the Latin term “annulus,” meaning ring-shaped—people often get confused about its difference to other kinds of eclipses.
‘Ring Of Fire’ V.s Total Solar Eclipse
The two types of “central” solar eclipse are actually really simple to tell apart:
- Total solar eclipse: the sun is completely blocked by the moon and it goes dark during the day (or, at least, a twilight descends), allowing observers to see the solar corona—the sun’s delicate outer atmosphere—with their naked eyes, but just for a few minutes. The next one in the U.S. (as well as Mexico and Canada) is on April 8, 2024. This is what the magical moment of totality will look like (and, yes, it’s more powerful an experience than a “ring of fire”):
- Annular solar eclipse (“ring of fire”): the center of the sun is partially blocked by a slightly more distant, so smaller-looking moon. A ring around the moon is visible for a few minutes. Solar eclipse glasses must be worn the entire time.
Here’s an image of the “ring of fire:”
Where To See The ‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse
Crucially, both phenomenons must be viewed inside a narrow path across the surface of Earth. On October 14, 2023 that path will be about 125 miles wide, beginning in the Pacific Ocean and crossing these eight U.S. states:
- Oregon
- Northern California
- Nevada
- Utah
- Northeastern Arizona
- Southwestern Colorado
- New Mexico
- Texas
After it leaves the U.S. it will be visible from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.
Best Weather For The ‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse
Note that the coasts of Oregon and Texas are more likely to have clouds and that the Four Corners region (southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico) is most likely to have clear blue skies.
Visit Eclipsophile for detailed climate forecasts and up-to-the-minute weather forecasts in the days before the big event.
Why You Must Get To The Narrow Path
You must be in path of annularity to see the “ring of fire.” You’ll see lots of events and lodgings offering things like “86% coverage,” which sounds pretty good. But all you’ll see is a partial solar eclipse of the kind you’ve almost certainly seen before (the last one in the U.S. was in 2021). It will look something like this:
Where the “ring of fire” is visible—only in the 125 miles-wide path—it will cover 91% of the sun, so the percentage isn’t really relevant,. You’ll either see the ring, or you won’t.
How To Check If A Place Will See The ‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse
What you need is a solar eclipse interactive map of the event or, even better an interactive map with simulations of exactly what you’ll see at your intended location, just to be sure. For a printable schedule of the exact timings for your location, punch-in the nearest town into this eclipse lookup page.
I am the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of “The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024.”
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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