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Last month, stargazers were treated to a gorgeous “super flower blood moon” lunar eclipse. However, the event was by no means the only spectacle to grace our skies, and next week will give us an even greater treat – a rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse is primed to take place on June 10 and will entail the fringes of the moon being enshrouded in what appears to be a blazing ring of fire.
An annular solar eclipse takes place when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. However, the moon will not entirely cover the sun – leaving stargazers with the brilliant sight of a glowing ring of sunlight surrounding the moon.
As EarthSky explains:
“A bright annulus – or ring – will surround the new moon silhouette at mid-eclipse. It’s the outer rim of the sun, not quite hidden from view. People have taken to calling these ‘ring of fire’ eclipses. Essentially, they are partial eclipses, albeit very dramatic ones.”
The eclipse won’t be a very long event, but it also won’t be too brief – the eclipse is expected to last about an hour and forty minutes, with the moon being situated directly in front of the sun for a maximum duration of three minutes and 51 seconds.
The eclipse’s narrow path will be visible in its entirety in parts of the northern regions of Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Ocean, and Siberia. It will be visible partially for the remainder of northeastern North America, Northern Europe, and Asia.
“In North America, the most ideally situated metropolitan areas to view the eclipse at sunrise are Toronto, Philadelphia, and New York,” note the Great American Eclipse website.
The partial eclipse will begin at around 4:12 a.m. ET and will stretch into 9:11 a.m. However, the full eclipse of the sun will occur at 6:53 a.m. ET.
