PC: The Wire Science

An annular solar eclipse is going to occur on October 14 (Saturday) and it will be a wonderful sight in the Western Hemisphere when a silver ring will be visible around the Sun's disk. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and blocks the Sun's rays, casting a shadow over parts of the Earth.

What is the 'Ring of Fire'?

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly on a line, but the apparent size of the Moon's shadow is smaller than the visible disk of the Sun. Therefore, the covered Sun appears as a 'ring of fire'.

The thing to note is that not every eclipse can be complete. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not perfectly circular and its distance from the planet ranges from approximately 356,500 km to 406,700 km. This difference causes the Moon's apparent size in the sky to fluctuate by about 13 percent.

PC: Moneycontrol

If the Moon eclipses the Sun near its orbit, it completely blocks it and results in a total eclipse. However, if the Moon eclipses the Sun on the far side of its orbit, as it does this time, the satellite will not completely obscure the star's disk – and a "ring of fire" or ring of sunlight is visible.

Will an annular solar eclipse be visible in India?

The annular solar eclipse will not be visible in India, however, people in the Western Hemisphere may experience the phenomenon.

Timeanddate.com said the annular solar eclipse will be visible over a narrow path running from Oregon to Texas in the US. It then passes through Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and parts of Brazil. Elsewhere in the Americas – from Alaska to Argentina – a partial solar eclipse will be visible.

PC: Jatin Verma's IAS Academy

When to see the annular solar eclipse on October 14?

NASA said, an annular solar eclipse starts in one place and ends in another place. It starts at 9:13 a.m. (PDT) in Oregon and ends at 12:03 p.m. (CDT) in Texas.

The solar eclipse will start at 11:29 PM on October 14, 2023 (New Delhi) and end at 11:34 PM on October 14, 2023 (New Delhi).