Solar eclipse on Oct 14 – When and where to watch the 'Ring of Fire'

• A solar and a lunar eclipse are lined up in October 2023.
• This solar eclipse will be visible in the western hemisphere and can’t be seen from India.
• Parts of North America including the western parts of the United States and some regions in the Pacific Ocean will be able to see the eclipse.

Eclipses are interesting astronomy events and become curious topics for discussion. An eclipse occurs when a celestial body hides another in the sky while moving in its transit path. Without the deep knowledge of astronomy and the aid of advanced gadgets, we may not be able to identify all the different kinds of eclipses that occur in the sky. Nevertheless, the most common ones that are prominently visible from the earth are solar and lunar eclipses.

The astrological significance of solar and lunar eclipses is another reason why solar and lunar eclipses are pursued eagerly. Two to five solar eclipses can happen in a year, but no two eclipses look alike.

Solar eclipse on 14 October, 2023

In October 2023, the sky will stage two eclipses. The first one will be a solar eclipse happening on 14 October, also called the ‘Ring of Fire’, and the second one will be a lunar eclipse marked on 28 October. The solar eclipse on 14 October 2023 will not be visible in India. However, it can be watched from some parts of North America including some parts of the western United States and the Pacific Ocean.

On 14 October 2023, the solar eclipse will start at 08:34 pm (IST) and end at 02:25 am (IST). This eclipse will be visible in the western hemisphere of the earth. Since the eclipse can’t be seen from India, there is no Sutak period applicable in the country. This eclipse is also known as ring of fire due to the way it will appear during the peak of the eclipse.

The eclipse can be seen from eight states in the U.S.

This kind of solar eclipse known as an annular solar eclipse happened in the U.S. around 11 years back on May 20, 2012. Covering the similar region, this time, the solar eclipse will cross over eight states in the U.S. from Oregon to Texas. When an annular solar eclipse occurs, the moon will appear a bit smaller than the sun. Therefore, as the moon crosses the sun, the sun will look like a ring of fire during the peak of the eclipse.

The solar eclipse on 14 October 2023 will present different spectacles in different regions where it will be visible. The annular solar eclipse will begin at 09:13 am (PDT) in Oregon and will end at 12:03 pm (CDT) in Texas. The path of the solar eclipse will extend from Oregon through northern California, northeast Nevada, central Utah, northeast Arizona, southwest Colorado, central New Mexico and southern Texas. Eventually, it will move over the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.

At the point of the greatest eclipse, the ring of fire can be seen only from off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which will last for 5 minutes 17 seconds.