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Marianas to experience annular solar eclipse this Thursday
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Posted on Dec 23 2019
On the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 26, the Marianas will be in the path of an annular solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, partially blocking the sun’s light from reaching Earth.
Guam and Rota are in the path of the “annularity.” That means the sun will appear as a “ring of fire,” with the moon blocking the center of the sun at the maximum point of the eclipse.
Tinian and Saipan will be outside of the path of annularity. Throughout the entire eclipse, however, the sun will appear as a crescent shape on these islands.
For anyone who wants to experience this phenomenon, it is important to remember to never look directly at the sun, even during an eclipse, as this can cause serious eye damage. You must use a pair of approved eclipse viewing glasses or construct a pinhole viewer.
Annular solar eclipses, although not as spectacular as total solar eclipses in which the entire sun is blocked by the moon, are still a rare event.
Because the moon’s orbit around the earth, and the earth’s orbit around the sun are elliptical, not circular, the observed diameter of the sun and moon vary throughout the year. Sometimes, the observed diameter of the moon is larger than the sun, creating a total eclipse. Sometimes the observed diameter of the moon is smaller than the sun, creating an annular solar eclipse.
If the weather is clear, the eclipse will begin with the moon starting to block the edge of the sun at 3:35pm ChST. The eclipse will reach its maximum point at 4:56pm ChST and then the moon will slowly uncover the sun. At the maximum, approximately 90 percent of the sun will be blocked by the moon.
Another annular solar eclipse will take place over the Marianas on June 21, 2020; however, next year’s eclipse will cover a smaller percentage of the sun than this week’s eclipse.
