‘Ring Of Fire’ Solar Eclipse Arriving Next Week, But Will Minnesota See It?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/CBS News) — Last month’s “super flower blood moon” lunar eclipse was hardly the only exciting celestial event of the season. Next week brings an even bigger spectacle — a rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse.

On June 10, skywatchers all over the world will be able to view the eclipse. Though, as always, some places will be more ideal than others, and some will miss out entirely.

The narrow path of the eclipse will be completely visible in parts of Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Ocean and Siberia. It will be partially visible for much of the rest of northeastern North America, Greenland, Northern Europe and northern Asia.

From the Washington, D.C. area, the moon will block about 80% of the left side of the sun as they rise together in the east-northeast at 5:42 a.m. The sun will appear as a crescent during this time, NASA says.

In Minnesota, WCCO director of meteorology Mike Augustyniak says that Minnesota is not likely to really see any effects from the event, since the maximum eclipse will be happening before sunrise here. Also, only about 15% of the sun would be blocked in this part of the path.

“Pre-dawn light may seem a little dimmer for those who are particularly attuned to it,” Augustyniak said.

This web tool tracks how much is blocked in your area, and when.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s light. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon does not completely cover the sun as it passes, leaving a glowing ring of sunlight visible.

An annular eclipse can only occur under specific conditions, NASA says. The moon must be in its first lunar phase, and it must also be farther away from Earth in its elliptical orbit, appearing smaller in the sky than it usually would.

Because the moon appears smaller under these circumstances, it cannot fully block out the sun, forming what’s called a “ring of fire” or “ring of light.”

Source: CBS Minnesota