Getting A View Of The “Ring Of Fire”

Annular Eclipse Animation

Sonora, CA – It is a celestial showstopper that will only last a couple of hours tomorrow morning, and here is how you can view the “Ring of Fire” in the Mother Lode.

Carving out a swath about 130 miles wide, the eclipse will start in the North Pacific and enter the U.S. over Oregon around 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday. It will culminate in the ring of fire a little over an hour later. The maximum eclipse occurs at approximately 9:17 a.m. Only the remote Modoc County is slated to see a complete ring of fire. The closer to the ring of fire path, the bigger the bite the moon will appear to take out of the sun.

It will take less than an hour for the flaming halo to traverse the U.S. The partial eclipse is expected to end by 10:42 a.m., and because the sun won’t be fully obscured, anyone viewing the eclipse must use proper eye protection at all times from the initial partial phase to the ring of fire to the final partial phase. That can include certified solar eclipse glasses or a homemade pinhole projector. Sunglasses do not provide enough protection to prevent eye damage.

The next total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024. All of North America and Central America will experience a solar eclipse. It will be 2039 before another ring of fire is visible in the U.S., and Alaska will be the only state within the path of totality. And it will be 2046 before another ring of fire crosses into the U.S. Lower 48. Click here for an earlier event report on the science of the eclipse.

Of note, one unique way to watch the solar eclipse this Saturday, October 14, will be in the Pinecrest area. Stanislaus National Forest is hosting a hike and yoga program at 9 a.m. during the eclipse event. Those who want to participate will meet at the Pinecrest Lake Marina, hike to the Strawberry Dam, and then be guided through a yoga class with Kim Brodie from Mountain Om Yoga.