NEW ORLEANS — A “Ring of Fire” annular solar eclipse takes place Saturday, October 14. The eclipse will be visible across the United States, but the best place to view the full eclipse in our area will be across parts of Texas. Some of the cites that will see the full eclipse include San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The Moon will block around 80% of the Sun in the New Orleans area.
In the New Orleans area the eclipse begins around 10:35 AM. The maximum eclipse happens around 12:05 PM. This is when around 80% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon. The eclipse ends around 1:45 PM.
There is good news for those looking to take part in watching the eclipse as the day is expected to be sunny.
The event is called an annular Solar Eclipse because the Moon is at its farthest orbit from Earth. Therefore the Moon won’t completely block out the Sun. There will be a ring of light still shining around the Moon. This is why it’s called a “Ring of Fire” eclipse.
It’s important to know it is never safe to look directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection. NASA recommends using special solar filter glasses. This does not include your common sun glasses. Solar filter glasses are thousands of times darker than regular sun glasses.
Also, solar eclipses can be damaging to the eye and it is strongly recommended that you use special, solar-safe glasses to make viewing safe.