How to watch next week's rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse

BY SOPHIE LEWIS

JUNE 5, 2021 / 7:11 AM / CBS NEWS

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/annular-solar-eclipse-ring-of-fire-how-to-watch-june-10/#app

Last month's "super flower blood moon" lunar eclipse was hardly the only exciting celestial event of the season. Next week brings an even bigger spectacle — a rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse.

On June 10, skywatchers all over the world will be able to view the eclipse.

What is an annular solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun's light. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon does not completely cover the sun as it passes, leaving a glowing ring of sunlight visible.

An annular eclipse can only occur under specific conditions, NASA says. The moon must be in its first lunar phase, and it must also be farther away from Earth in its elliptical orbit, appearing smaller in the sky than it usually would.

Because the moon appears smaller under these circumstances, it cannot fully block out the sun, forming what's called a "ring of fire" or "ring of light."

"As the pair rises higher in the sky, the silhouette of the Moon will gradually shift off the sun to the lower left, allowing more of the Sun to show until the eclipse ends," NASA said.

How to watch the annular solar eclipse

Thursday morning, June 10, makes the new moon, which will eclipse the sun at 6:53 a.m. ET. To see it, look to the east.