ScienceSpaceeclipseSolar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse 2013: Spectacular 'Ring Of Fire' Will Be Visible To Skywatchers May 10

THIS WEEK: How To See 'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse
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By: Miriam Kramer
Published: 05/06/2013 01:31 PM EDT on SPACE.com

The moon will block the sun in a potentially spectacular solar eclipse this week — a celestial event that will transform the sun into a cosmic "ring of fire" in the daytime sky.

The ring-shaped solar eclipse, known as an annular eclipse, will occur Thursday and Friday (May 9 and 10) Eastern time. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible in certain parts of Australia and the Southern Pacific Ocean, where the local time will be Friday.


The first solar eclipse of 2013 occurs at the Moon's descending node in eastern Ares. An annular eclipse will be visible from Australia, eastern Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Gilbert Islands.

"Solar eclipses can be inspirational to students and others, so it is interesting to have everyone view the eclipse, but only safe methods of viewing should be used," Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College and chair of the International Astronomical Union's working group on eclipses, said in a statement. [See Spectacular Photos of a 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse]

While nearly 95 percent of the sun will be covered by the moon at the eclipse's peak, the sky will not be noticeably darker to the naked eye at any point, explained Williams College officials in Williamstown, Mass.

For this reason, special protective lenses, camera and telescope filters and other methods of protection should be used in order to safely watch the eclipse even during full annularity, when the sun is silhouetting the moon.

The path of annularity passes through parts of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. Other nearby parts of the world will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, if weather permits.

The Hawaiian Islands, other parts of Australia, the southern Philippines, eastern Indonesia, other areas in Papua New Guinea and a small part of New Zealand will get at least a partial show, Williams College officials said.

The entire world should be able to catch a glimpse of the annular eclipse thanks to the online Slooh Space Camera. Slooh will host a webcast featuring expert commentary and views of the eclipse on Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT). You can watch the broadcast live on SPACE.com.

During annular solar eclipses, the moon casts a shadow on the face of the Earth when it passes between the planet and the star. Because of its orbit, however, the moon still appears about 4.5 percent smaller than the sun, creating the distinct ring in the sky, Joe Rao, a SPACE.com contributor and meteorologist said.

This week's solar eclipse comes on the heels of a partial lunar eclipse that shadowed the moon above Central Asia, Western Australia, Eastern Europe and Africa. Another minor lunar eclipse will occur on May 24.

These aren't the only eclipses of 2013. On Nov. 3, a rare hybrid solar eclipse — an annular eclipse that transitions into a total eclipse — will be visible in the northern Atlantic Ocean and into equatorial Africa.

WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun.

Editor's note: If you live in the observing area of Thursday's solar eclipse and safely snap an amazing picture of the sun that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter and Google+. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ]]>

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Before You Go

Solar Eclipse
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How savvy are you about eclipses? You probably know that a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. But did you know that the shadow of a solar eclipse travel at 1,100 miles an hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles an hour at the poles? And that's just one of this slideshow's fascinating facts, as compiled by NASA scientist Sten Odenwald.Picture taken on Easter Island, 3700 km off the Chilean coast in the Pacific Ocean, on July 11, 2010. (credit:MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)
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During an eclipse, local animals and birds often prepare for sleep or behave confusedly. Picture taken in Bucharest, Romania on January 4, 2011. (credit:DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images)
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Before the advent of modern atomic clocks, studies of ancient records of solar eclipses allowed astronomers to detect a 0.001 second per century slowing down in Earth's rotation.Picture taken on July 22, 2009 from the observatory of the University of the Philippines in Manila. (credit:TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)
(04 of14)
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The width of the path in which a total eclipse is visible is at most 167 miles wide.Picture taken at the Life-giving Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Moscow, Russia on January 4, 2011. (credit:OXANA ONIPKO/AFP/Getty Images)
(05 of14)
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The longest duration for a total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes.Picture taken on January 04, 2011 in Locon, northern France. (credit:PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)
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Partial solar eclipses can be seen up to 3,000 miles from the "track" of totality.Picture taken in Baihata village, 30 kms from Guwahati, the capital city of the northeastern state of Assam in India on July 22, 2009. (credit:BIJU BORO/AFP/Getty Images)
(07 of14)
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The maximum number of solar eclipses (partial, annular, or total) is 5 per year, and there are at least 2 solar eclipses per year somewhere on the Earth.Picture taken in the Indian city of Varanasi on July 22, 2009. (credit:PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)
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Only partial solar eclipses can be observed from the North and South Poles.Picture taken over the statue of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on July 22, 2009. (credit:AFP/AFP/Getty Images)
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Light filtering through leaves on trees casts crescent shadows as totality approaches. Picture taken on July 22, 2009 in Seoul, South Korea. (credit:Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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"Shadow bands" are often seen on the ground as the eclipse's peak approaches.Picture taken on January 04, 2011 in Rennes, western France. (credit:DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)
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During totality, the horizon is illuminated in a narrow band of light, because an observer is seeing distant localities not under the direct umbra, or area of darkness, of the Moon's shadow.Picture taken on January 4, 2011 in Old Damascus, Syria. (credit:LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Local temperatures often drop 20 degrees or more near totality. Picture taken January 4, 2011 in Italy. (credit:Flickr: David Paleino)
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Every eclipse begins at sunrise at some point in its track and ends at sunset about half way around the world from the start point. Picture taken January 4, 2011 by the Hinode satellite. (credit:NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Hinode/XRT)
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Nearly identical eclipses (total, annual, or partial) occur after 18 years and 11 days, or every 6,585.32 days (Saros Cycle). Picture taken in Lahore, Pakistan on January 4, 2011. (credit:Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)
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