In an exciting development, the residents of Southern Chile and Southern Argentina will be able to see the “Ring of Fire” occuring on Oct 2, with just a week after. Over the parts of Pacific Ocean, an annual solar eclipse will be visible and it will be about 265 km to 331 km wide. However, it should be noted that the annual solar eclipse is commonly known as the “Ring of Fire” and this time it will be visible for more than 7 minutes.
While, it is advisable not to look directly at the “Ring of Fire”, however, with proper sightseeing equipment, the viewers can not only see but also capture the breathtaking views of the annual solar eclipse. The audience of southern Chile and southern Argentina will be lucky this time as they will be seeing this spectacular sight, however, for the people of Hawaii, they will only be able to see a partial solar eclipse on the same day i.e., Oct 2, Wednesday.
The phenomenon of annual solar eclipse is called the “Ring of Fire” because during the process, the moon and the sun together create a ring like shape and the sun behind the moon shows a “Ring of Fire” like structure. Moreover, as per NASA, “Annular solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between the Earth while still being at its farthest point away from Earth. The moon, being farther away from us, appears smaller than the sun and does not fully cover it, resulting in the “ring of fire” illusion.”
Moreover, NASA further stated, “Those in the path of annularity will have as much as 90% of the sun blocked by the moon. As a result, people can feel a slight change in temperature and there will be a dimness in daylight much like during a sunset or sunrise.”
Not only this, NASA has given special instructions to see the “Ring of Fire” as it says that special certified eclipse glasses should be used or it can be seen through a pinhole projector. As per NASA, a small ray of light from the “Ring of Fire” could cause a damage to your eyes. Hence, it is mandatory to take all precautionary measures before seeing the spectacular “Ring of Fire.”
Another interesting detail to note regarding the upcoming annual solar eclipse is that it is the second solar eclipse of the year 2024. As per the data taken from Space.com, the upcoming “Ring of Fire” will be visible in the following locations with their times mentioned below:
- Rapa Nui/Easter Island, Chile (5 minutes, 38 seconds to 6 minutes, 12 seconds of annularity starting at 14:03 EAST, 67 degrees above North)
- Cochrane, Chile (5 minutes, 40 seconds of annularity starting at 17:21 CLST, 26 degrees above NNW)
- Perito Moreno National Park, Argentina (6 minutes, 17 seconds of annularity starting at 17:21 ART, 25 degrees above NNW)
- Puerto Deseado, Argentina (3 minutes, 22 seconds of annularity starting at 17:27 ART, 20 degrees above NNW)
- Puerto San Julian, Argentina (5 minutes, 12 seconds of annularity starting at 17:24 ART, 21 degrees above NNW)
On that note, the three very interesting reasons that make the upcoming solar eclipse special include its time duration, its location and its similarity with that of April 8 solar eclipse. Talking about its time duration, it will be the longest solar eclipse that will last for about 7 minutes and 25 seconds. Moreover, the place where it will be visible clearly is an iconic destination known as Rapa Nui, Eastern Island. Last, but not the least, it is similar to the previous April 8 solar eclipse, so all the interested spectators will be definitely coming to see the October 2 solar eclipse, as known as, the “Ring of Fire” as well.
Ring of fire … everyone is blushing to see