Saturday, October 14:

We have our first annular solar eclipse seen in Texas since May 12, 2012. An annular eclipse Occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and Sun, but at appogee, or the furthest point in its orbit around the Sun. This added distance makes it too small in the sky to completely cover the Sun, leaving a “ring of fire” along its path. Those outside the path will see a partial eclipse. Annular eclipses are technically partial eclipses and require eye protection. Annular is Latin for ring. Houston will not see the ring. We are outside the path of annularity so we’ll get a partial eclipse Saturday morning.

Times to see the eclipse:

If you are in southeast Texas you will not see a ring. We’ll get a partial eclipse with 84% of the sun’s disk covered. The magnitude, or diameter of the sun covered is 90%. To see the ring you have to drive west.

Eclipse times where you live:

If you live outside Houston you can put the name of your city here to get the specific times of the partial eclipse where you live.

How to view the eclipse safely:

If you want to see the eclipse you’ll need special eyewear or a pinhole projector. Viewing an eclipse without these will damage your eyes if you look directly at the sun. Eclipse glasses block out 100% of the dangerous infrared and ultraviolet light. And more than 99% of visible light. Our eclipse glasses are made by Rainbow Symphony. They are one of two businesses that make and test their glasses in the United States. These glasses are ISO-certified.

Path of the Annular Eclipse:

I put together a more detailed article of the annular path here. To see the ring you have to be west of Houston. I’ll be in Albuquerque, New Mexico along the center line. I hope to get some good pictures to share with you.

If you miss it:

The next annular eclipse will occur on Feb. 5, 2046. It will only be visible along the west coast.

But we do have a total solar eclipse coming up on April 8, 2024. You want to make sure you get in the path of this one. This kind of eclipse overwhelms your senses! And the last total solar eclipse seen in Texas was July 29, 1879! The next total solar eclipse will be August 23, 2044, and will only be visible to the far northern United States. The next coast-to-coast all-American eclipse is August 12, 2045.

If you don’t have glasses and don’t make a pinhole projector there are several Houston events that will help you see the eclipse safely.