Annular eclipse:
HOUSTON – On Oct. 14, an annular eclipse will move through our western states and Texas. The word “annular” come from Latin word meaning ring. If you are in the path of the annular eclipse you’ll see a ring around the sun. Houston will get a partial eclipse with 90% of the sun covered.
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Here are the cities in the path of annularity.
Why this isn’t a total solar eclipse:
It’s essential to note that annular eclipses are different from total solar eclipses. In a total solar eclipse, the moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, leading to a brief period of darkness known as totality. In contrast, during an annular eclipse, a ring of sunlight remains visible around the moon’s silhouette.
An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is near apogee (farthest away from the Earth.) When the moon enters the sun’s shadow it does not completely cover the sun. The result, during the eclipse, a bright ring (annulus) appears in the sky. This is the first annular eclipse visible in the U.S. since May 20, 2012.
When the moon is at perigee -- a perfect shadow is formed because the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun and the sun is 400 times farther away from the Earth.
Who will see the annular eclipse:
Annular eclipses are less common than partial or total solar eclipses because the alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun must be precise for annularity to occur. As a result, they are relatively rare events and can only be observed along a narrow path on the Earth’s surface during each occurrence. In Houston, we will not see annularity. The moon will cover 90% of sun creating a partial solar eclipse. The below images are the Texas cities in the path of annularity.
Total solar eclipse:
The April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse of the sun is the first time since 2017 the contiguous United States will experience totality. Texas, and its population of 12.8 million people live in the eclipse path. All 50 states get at least a partial eclipse.
Houston is not in the path of totality -- 94% of the sun will be in the moon’s shadow creating a partial solar eclipse.
Texas, the only state that gets to see both:
This darker box will see both eclipses.
INTERACTIVE: Simulation of solar eclipse
Go here for more eclipse coverage from KPRC2 and Click2Houston.com.
