13/10/2023
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Belize Enjoys Front-Row Seats to "Ring of Fire" Eclipse Sweeping Across the Americas
Saturday promises a celestial spectacle for tens of millions across the Americas, including Belize, with the rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse. This annular solar eclipse, often referred to as the "ring of fire," will see the moon perfectly aligning between Earth and the sun, obscuring all but the sun’s blazing outer rim. For up to five minutes, a luminous ring will captivate observers along a slender trajectory from Oregon to Brazil.
The event precedes another astronomical wonder slated for six months later - a total solar eclipse that will span from Mexico, the U.S.' eastern half, to Canada. Unlike this Saturday's show, the moon's distance from Earth in April will be just right to fully veil the sun.
The annular eclipse will trace a path about 130 miles wide, initiating in the North Pacific, touching U.S. soil in Oregon around 8 a.m. PDT, and then creating the fiery ring over an hour later. The spectacle will meander through states like Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, and briefly skim through Idaho, California, Arizona, and Colorado. In under an hour, this shimmering halo will traverse the U.S.
Following its U.S. journey, the eclipse will journey over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, through Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, culminating over Brazil, and concluding over the Atlantic.
The entire eclipse duration, from the moon's initial cloaking of the sun till its conclusion, will span between 2 1/2 to three hours, depending on one's location. The ring's appearance will vary from three to five minutes.
In the U.S., over 6.5 million individuals reside along this path of annularity. A crescent-shaped partial eclipse will be visible across every U.S. state and will extend to Canada, Central America, and most of South America. The closer one is to the path, the larger the moon's obscuration of the sun appears. NASA and various organizations will offer a livestream for those who can't witness it firsthand.
Safety during this celestial event is paramount. Alex Lockwood, a planetary scientist at NASA, emphasizes using certified solar eclipse glasses. Standard sunglasses won't suffice to prevent potential eye damage.
For those fascinated by celestial occurrences, one Texas city near San Antonio, Kerrville, is poised for a unique experience. It lies within the trajectory of both Saturday’s eclipse and next April’s, turning it into a hotspot for skygazers. With Saturday’s eclipse coinciding with various local festivals, the city's population is expected to surge.
The April total solar eclipse will carve its path in an opposing direction to Saturday's event. A subsequent ring of fire won't grace U.S. skies until 2039, visible only from Alaska. Another won't cross the U.S. Lower 48 until 2046.
NASA, alongside other organizations, plans extensive observations for both eclipses. “It’s going to be absolutely breathtaking for science,” comments NASA astrophysicist Madhulika Guhathakurta. The potential scientific yield and celestial beauty promise to make these events unforgettable.
