Next Solar Eclipse Will Display A Spectacular Ring Of Fire, Watch The Livestream

The 2024 annular solar eclipse is happening tomorrow and will include a ring of fire. While the path of the eclipse will take it mainly through the Southern Hemisphere, those north will still be able to watch via livestream.

Back in early April of this year, many across North America took time out of their busy day to step outside and catch a view of a total solar eclipse. NASA even joined the festivities, flying three WB-57 jet planes above the clouds to collect scientific data surrounding the eclipse. This go round, however, folks in South America will be the ones privy to the celestial event, with some on the west coast of the US perhaps seeing a partial eclipse.

According to The Planetary Society, annular eclipses are a very special type of eclipse. During this event, the Moon is centered in front of the Sun, but doesn’t completely cover the fireball. Instead, it leaves a slight ring around the outer edge, often referred to as a “ring of fire.” Annular eclipses only occur when the Moon is at the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, making the Moon appear smaller than usual from Earth.

The event will happen on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, with the partial eclipse beginning around 15:42 UTC. The annular eclipse will begin at 16:50 UTC. This will be the moment when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, creating the illusion of a thin ring of sunlight around the moon. At approximately 18:45 UTC, maximum eclipse begins. This happens when the moon completely covers the face of the sun. Then at 20:39 UTC, the annular eclipse will come to an end.

The eclipse will be visible to those in parts of South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and Antarctica. It is estimated only about 175,000 people live within the path of annularity this time around, with those having a chance of viewing a partial eclipse being around 245 million.

For those who do not live in the path of the eclipse, no worries. Tune in tomorrow via the livestream above and catch the ring of fire from the comforts of home, or wherever one might be.