An annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse on May 20, 2012. Credits: NASA/Bill Dunford
NASA will host a media
teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to discuss the upcoming
annular solar eclipse. The annular eclipse will cross the U.S. from Oregon to
Texas on Saturday, Oct. 14, with a partial solar eclipse visible throughout the
contiguous U.S.
Audio of the call will stream live
on NASA's website.
The following participants will
discuss the science of eclipses, how to safely watch the Oct. 14 eclipse, and
the next total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024:
- Peg Luce,
acting Heliophysics division director, NASA Headquarters
- Madhulika Guhathakurta,
heliophysics program scientist, NASA Headquarters
- Elizabeth
MacDonald, heliophysics citizen science lead, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center
- Alex
Lockwood, strategic content and integration lead for NASA’s Science
Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
To ask questions during the
teleconference, media must RSVP no later than two hours before the event to
Sarah Frazier at sarah.frazier@nasa.gov. NASA's media accreditation
policy is
available online.
Also known as a "ring of
fire" eclipse, an annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is near the
part of its orbit that is most distant from Earth. Because the Moon is farther
from Earth than it is during a total solar eclipse, the Moon doesn't block out
the entire Sun, instead it leaves a bright ring of Sun visible at the peak of
the eclipse.
This "ring of fire" is
visible only in the narrow path of annularity that stretches from Oregon to
Texas, as well as parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Outside
the path of annularity, people across the contiguous U.S., Puerto Rico, and parts
of Alaska and Hawaii will have the chance to see a partial solar eclipse, when
the Moon covers part of the Sun without creating the "ring of fire"
effect.
All eclipse-watchers on Oct. 14
will need to use special eye protection – such eclipse glasses or a specialized
solar filter – or an indirect viewing method to safely watch the eclipse.
Such safety measures must be used throughout the
entire eclipse, no matter a viewer's location, as even the small ring of Sun
visible at the peak of the annular eclipse is dangerous if viewed directly.
Live coverage of the annular solar
eclipse will air on NASA TV and the agency’s website on Oct. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.. The
public also can watch live on agency social media accounts on Facebook, X, and YouTube.
The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from
Texas to Maine.
For more information about eclipses, visit: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/
Source: NASA
Scientists to Discuss Oct. 14 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse | NASA
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