Richard Monda, an assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Department, traveled to Albuquerque, NM, to witness and photograph the three-hour-long annular eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14. Viewers of an annular solar eclipse, also known as a “Ring of Fire” eclipse, see the moon silhouetted against the sun with a ring (or “annulus”) of sunlight surrounding the moon.
The “Ring of Fire” occurs when the moon is slightly farther from the Earth than average and appears smaller than the sun. The fiery ring is seen when the moon is centered over the sun. An annular solar eclipse requires protective solar eclipse glasses to be viewed safely, as do all partial solar eclipses.
On the west coast, the moon’s path of annularity passed through through Oregon, Nevada and Utah before the silhouetted moon appeared centered over the sun when it reached Albuquerque at 10:36 a.m. MDT. Viewers in Corpus Christi, TX, also saw “annularity” — the moon centered on the sun with a ring of very bright sunlight — as the eclipse advanced directly through the city at about 11:55 a.m. CDT.
Cloudy skies prevented viewers in the Capital Region from seeing the annular solar eclipse. Even if skies were clear, the path of annularity would not have traveled across New York State. The moon’s silhouette never appears centered during a partial solar eclipse.
The Albany, NY, region last experienced an annular eclipse on May 10, 1994. The next annular eclipse in the United States will be on Feb. 5, 2046, but it will only touch northern California.
Following the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, that will be close to a total eclipse in the Capital Region, the next total solar eclipse to cross the continental United States will be on Aug. 12, 2045. (A total solar eclipse will occur on Aug. 23, 2044, but it will only “touch” North Dakota.)
Inbound partial solar eclipse (9:41 a.m. through 10:29 a.m. MDT)
Annularity Phase — just over four minutes in length (10:34 a.m. through 10:38 a.m. MDT)
Outbound partial solar eclipse (10:40 a.m. through 11:46 a.m.)
[Photos: Richard Monda]