NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Millions will step outside this weekend to see the “ring of fire” solar eclipse and for some, a partial eclipse. An annular eclipse happens this Saturday (Oct 14) during the middle of the day.
The path with maximum obstruction of the Sun will run from southern Oregon to western and southern Texas. Unlike a total solar eclipse, the Moon won’t cover the entire face of the Sun. In the path of maximum obstruction, it’ll cover up to 90%. Since the sun will be partially visible, it will create a “ring of fire” appearance. This happens because the Moon is orbiting the farthest away from the sun, so it’ll cast a smaller shadow on the Earth and will appear smaller in the sky.
Anyone outside of the path of annularity, like those of us Louisiana. will see less of the sun covered. On the east coast, it will only be about 20% to 50% covered while here in Louisiana and coastal Mississippi, we’ll average around 65%-75% coverage.
New Orleans, Louisiana will see the partial eclipse begin at 10:24 am with a maximum coverage of 72% at 12:07 PM. The partial eclipse will end a few hours later at 1:46 pm.
Since the sun will be visible through the entire eclipse, there will be no safe time to see it without solar eclipse glasses. These glasses of black polymer which is a flexible resin infused with carbon particles. They’re about 100,000 darker than ordinary sunglasses and block out the harmful light that damages the eye.
The next solar eclipse to mark your calendar for will happen on April 8, 2024. That’s the next total solar eclipse where the path of totality (100% sun coverage) will happen in the central and eastern parts of the United States.
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