Solar Eclipses
Most people know “Ring of Fire” as the iconic Johnny Cash song. But it also happens to be the name of a phenomenon that occurs during a partial solar eclipse. (1)
Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves between the Earth and sun. There are two types of solar eclipses. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely covers the sun. An annular solar eclipse is when the moon covers all of the sun except for an outer ring. (1, 2)
Alex Young, associate director for science in the heliophysics science division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, explained the difference between total and annular eclipses to CNN. “Annular eclipses are similar to total eclipses in that the moon, Earth and sun are aligned so that the moon moves directly in front of the Sun as viewed from Earth.” (1)
He continued, “But a total eclipse does not happen, that is the moon does not completely block out the visible disk of the sun because the moon is farther away and so its apparent size in the sky is [slightly] smaller than the sun. This means that a tiny ring of annulus of the solar disk is visible around the moon.” (1)
This visible ring of the sun is where the solar eclipse gets the nickname “Ring of Fire”. (1)
Ring of Fire on June 21, 2020
The sun will have a busy weekend of celebrations on June 20 and 21, 2020. Saturday, June 20 is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The sun will be at its highest point in the sky for the year and provide the most hours of daylight. And then, the annular solar eclipse will occur on Sunday, June 21. (1, 3, 4)
“It’s a truly magical moment to witness the ‘Ring of Fire’ appear as the Moon is centered over the Sun’s disk,” Slooh Observatory’s Chief Astronomical Officer, Paul Cox, told Forbes. (4)
While they’re not the rarest of astronomical events, annular eclipses don’t even happen yearly. The next one will occur on June 10, 2021, and after that, we won’t see this type of eclipse until October 14, 2023. So if you’re into eclipses, make sure you don’t miss your opportunity to view this one. (5)
How to Watch the Ring of Fire
The annular eclipse will last around 3.75 hours, beginning at 12:47 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 21, 2020. The eclipse will peak at 2:40 a.m. ET and end at 4:32 a.m. ET.
People living in central Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, Northern India, and South Central China will be able to view the annular solar eclipse. Residents of Asia, Africa, South and East Europe, northern Australia, and parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans will be able to see a partial eclipse. (1)
If you happen to live anywhere else, you can view the annular eclipse online. TimeandDate.com plans to provide live images and commentary on the eclipse, weather permitting. (5, 6)
If you are lucky enough to watch the annular eclipse in person, don’t forget to protect your eyes. Wear safe solar viewing glasses, and use a solar filter on the lens of any camera, binoculars, or telescope you plan to use to view the eclipse. (1)
