'Ring of fire' solar eclipse 2023: What time & how to watch Saturday
YOU. THIS WEEKEND, VIEWERS ARE IN FOR A SPECIAL TREAT WHEN THE MOON MOVES IN FRONT OF THE SUN, BLOCKING SUNLIGHT AND CREATING A FANTASTIC RING OF FIRE IN THE SKY. THIS IS AN ANNULAR ECLIPSE, NOT A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, BUT WE’LL HAVE ONE OF THOSE SOON ENOUGH AS WELL. HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO SAFELY VIEW THIS ECLIPSE AND WHAT ELSE IS COMING UP IS NASA EXPERT ANITA DAY. ANITA, GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. >> SO THIS WEEKEND, THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE, WHAT WILL WE SEE? EXPLAIN FOR
PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN FOLLOWING THIS, WHAT IS THE RING OF FIRE? >> YEAH. SO THE PATH OF ANNULARITY WILL BE FROM TEXAS TO OREGON. AND SO PEOPLE IN THAT PATH ARE GOING TO SEE, EXCUSE ME, THE SUN IS COVERED BY THE MOON, PARTIALLY. AND SO THERE’S GOING TO BE THIS RING OF FIRE WHERE THE SUN NORMALLY IS. YOU’LL SEE THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF THE SUN SOMEWHAT OBSCURED BY THE MOON. AND SO IN LOS ANGELES, WHAT YOU WILL SEE SINCE YOU’RE NOT QUITE IN THE PATH, BUT YOU’RE CLOSE. YOU’LL SEE A CRESCENT SUN INSTEAD OF A
CRESCENT MOON, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE’RE ALL QUITE USED TO. YOU’LL SEE A CRESCENT SUN THAT’LL BE QUITE BEAUTIFUL. >> ABSOLUTELY. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR FRIENDS
ALL THOSE FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT. SO HOW CAN VIEWERS SAFELY SEE THE ANNULAR ECLIPSE? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE IS THAT CONCERN ABOUT DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY NOT TO HARM YOUR EYES. YES ABSOLUTELY. >> THAT’S A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT. SO WE SHOULD NEVER, EVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY. ANYWAY SO IF YOU WANT TO OBSERVE THE ECLIPSE, WHAT YOU NEED ARE SOME SOLAR VIEWING GLASSES OR AN INDIRECT VIEWING METHOD. SO THE ECLIPSE GLASSES YOU CAN FIND AT LIBRARIES AND A LOT OF OTHER PLACES. AND THE INDIRECT METHOD IS VERY EASY. YOU CAN MAKE A PINHOLE CAMERA
AT HOME OR OR I GOT VERY LUCKY IN 2017 WHEN I WAS AT WORK. I WASN’T AT NASA AT THE TIME. I WAS WATCHING THE ECLIPSE BROADCAST AND I DECIDED TO GO OUTSIDE TO THE COURTYARD TO LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE AND I STEPPED OUTSIDE AND INSTEAD OF THE BEAUTIFUL DAPPLED LIGHT COMING THROUGH THE TREES, THERE WERE ALL THESE CRESCENT SUNS ON THE PAVEMENT BECAUSE THAT IS THE PINHOLE CAMERA EFFECT. THE LIGHT COMING THROUGH THE LEAVES WAS FOCUSED AND I COULD SEE THE ECLIPSE ON THE PAVEMENT. >> AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. ABSOLUTELY SO TOMORROW’S EVENT
IS THE FIRST OF TWO SOLAR ECLIPSES THAT PEOPLE IN NORTH AMERICA ARE IN PRIME LOCATION TO VIEW WITHIN THE COMING YEAR. TELL US ABOUT THE BIG ECLIPSE HAPPENING IN APRIL OF NEXT YEAR AND HOW IS THAT ONE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE’RE SEEING TOMORROW? YEAH >> SO IN APRIL, WE’LL HAVE A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE AND THAT PATH IS GOING TO BE FROM TEXAS TO MAINE AND SO PEOPLE IN THAT PATH WILL HAVE COMPLETE DARKNESS AS THE SUN WILL BE COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY THE MOON. AND THERE’LL BE A MOMENT WHERE YOU CAN TAKE OFF
YOUR GLASSES TO OBSERVE THAT WHEN THE SUN IS COMPLETELY DARK, BUT YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR GLASSES RIGHT BACK ON BEFORE WHEN THE SUN STARTS COMING OUT. SO THAT’LL BE VERY SPECIAL. BUT ALSO FOR THAT ECLIPSE, EVERYBODY IN THE CONTIGUOUS 48 STATES WILL GET A LITTLE SOMETHING. IT MIGHT BE A NIBBLE OUT OF THE SUN LIKE YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE. SO THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE PEOPLE WATCHING THIS MORNING PUTTING THIS ON THEIR RADAR FOR TOMORROW. >> HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INVOLVED WITH THE ECLIPSE? WHERE CAN THEY GO? SO ANY INSIGHT? >> YEAH, THAT’S A
GREAT QUESTION. SO WE WILL ALL BE MARKING THE ECLIPSE IN OUR OWN WAYS. I KNOW SOME NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES ARE NOT GOING TO BE VIEWING THE ECLIPSE. MY MY, MY TWO HINDU TEMPLES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THE PRIESTS WON’T BE VIEWING THE ECLIPSE EITHER. IT’S AGAINST THAT TRADITION. BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO VIEW THE ECLIPSE, YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL WAYS. YOU KNOW, GO OUTSIDE AND OBSERVE SAFELY WITH SOLAR VIEWING GLASSES OR AN INDIRECT METHOD. YOU CAN GET INVOLVED BY LOOKING AT THE NASA WEBSITE NASA.GOV TO LOOK FOR SOME ECLIPSE ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE CITIZEN SCIENCE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED AND MAKE OBSERVATIONS GAINES OF WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE ECLIPSE. YOU KNOW, THE CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE , THE CHANGES IN IN SOUND CHANGES IN CLOUD COVER. AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO WATCH OUR BROADCAST, WHICH WILL BE STARTING AT 1130 EASTERN TIME. >> OKAY. GREAT INSIGHT. IT’S A IT’S THE ULTIMATE SH
