Solar Eclipse

Annular Solar Eclipse (Oct 3, 2005)

At sunset on Sunday May 20, 2012, a solar eclipse will be visible throughout most of the U.S. and part of southeastern Asia. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun in such a way as to block some or all of the sun’s light on the earth.

Sunday’s eclipse is a type of partial eclipse called an annular eclipse. In the prime viewing region, the moon will be centered over the sun and block most of the sun except for a “ring of fire” around the moon; hence the term “annular.”

This is a relatively uncommon event. The last time a total or annular solar eclipse happened in the U.S. was 1994.

Here is a NASA map which shows the prime viewing track as a band across western Texas, New Mexico, northern Arizona, southern Utah, Nevada, and northern California. Most of the rest of the U.S. and parts of Canada and Mexico will see a partial eclipse. Those east of the Appalachian Mtns will miss this eclipse.

The eclipse will be visible at sunset for the central U.S. In west Texas, the sun will set as a “ring of fire” with the moon blocking the sun. In California, the eclipse will be over before sunset, so eye protection like eclipse glasses or welding shades will be necessary. Here are Safety Tips for watching a solar eclipse safely.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Read the prequels on sky events in May:
Supermoons & the Titanic
Night Sky in May

Read the sequel:
Transit of Venus

©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3)
Wednesday May 16, 2012 A.D.

Read my May 2012 newspaper column: Dragons

Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name. (Jeremiah 31:35)