How to See the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse on Saturday

It’s been a while since the last solar eclipse, which swept the U.S. from Oregon eastward in 2017, briefly darkening the day for the thousands of people who planned ahead and put themselves in the path of the moon’s shadow. 

• Jump to: What time can I see this weekend’s annular solar eclipse in the Bay Area?

With all that’s happened in the interim, that solar eclipse six years ago may feel like ancient history now. But we’re about to enter a remarkable season of solar eclipses that will be visible from most of the country. In particular, mark your calendar for April 8, 2024, when a major total solar eclipse will cut from Texas to Maine.

But thankfully, we don’t have to wait that long to see a partial solar eclipse — because one’s right around the corner on Saturday, October 14, when a striking “ring of fire” effect will be visible to certain eclipse watchers. 

When is Saturday’s annular solar eclipse happening?

On the morning of Saturday, October 14, an eclipse will darken the sky, coming ashore at the central Oregon coast, clipping across northern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and New Mexico, and finally through south central Texas, departing into the Gulf of Mexico through San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

After that, the moon’s shadow will sweep over the Yucatán peninsula and Central America, then cut across Colombia and Brazil before diminishing into the Atlantic Ocean.

This will be an annular eclipse — an “almost” total solar eclipse — that takes place when the moon is farther from Earth than average, and its disk isn’t large enough to completely cover the sun.

If you live along the central path of the eclipse, you will see the moon block off most of the sun, but a thin outline of sunlight will peek out  around the perimeter in a bright ring, or annulus. See where you’d be able to see this famous “ring of fire” effect.

Can I see the annular solar eclipse in the Bay Area?

No matter where you are in the U.S. you will see at least a partial solar eclipse, with the moon obscuring some percentage of the sun from view and forming a bright crescent.  The closer an observer’s location to the central path, the more of the sun will be blocked and the darker the day will get.

Here in the Bay Area the partial eclipse begins a few minutes after 8 a.m. But unless you’re viewing it through special sun-safe telescope equipment, you won’t notice anything at first.

By 8:30 a.m. you will easily notice it, as if a bite were taken from the edge of the sun. And for the Bay Area, maximum eclipse happens at 9:19 a.m., when 78% of the sun will be blocked — and the day will noticeably darken. (Remember: we won’t see that “ring of fire” here in the Bay Area.)

How to safely observe the annular eclipse

If you’re planning to witness the eclipse with your own eyes, be careful not to look directly at the sun, even when it is being blocked by the moon.

Why? There’s still enough brightness and ultraviolet radiation in even a small glint of sunlight to damage your eyes if you stare at it directly.

The best way to observe a solar eclipse is either through special darkened filters (ordinary sunglasses will not protect your eyes), or by projecting an image of the sun with a small telescope.

A word of caution: Never point a telescope at the sun — even to project its image — unless you know how to do it safely. And never look directly at the sun through an ordinary telescope.

Safe sun-viewing glasses can be purchased online for a few dollars. Make sure to place your order early enough to get them before the eclipse.

You can also find instructions on the internet for building a pinhole camera projector — which can be as simple as casting a shadow on a piece of white paper with something that has small holes in it, like a cooking colander or a cheese grater.  (Or even a clenched fist.)

Another thing to watch for during the eclipse is the fun dance of the shadows. Look in the shadows of things like bushes and trees during the eclipse and you may find a spray of tiny crescents scattered where rays of sunlight slip through.

Each crescent you see is a tiny image of the sun and moon engaged in their eclipsing dance!

Planning ahead: What do I need to know about the solar eclipse in April 2024?

October’s annular eclipse will give us a taste of the experience of a total solar eclipse: One of the most breathtaking celestial events seen from the surface of the Earth.

Next April, a total solar eclipse will take place along a narrow strip of North America, starting in Mexico and heading northeast through Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont and Maine.

If you want to stand in the total shadow of the moon, book your hotel rooms now — if you can find any vacancies.

An earlier version of this story was originally published on October 6.