The Solar Eclipse of 2023

On Oct 14th, there will be a solar eclipse. Many people have heard of these kinds of things. But for the people who have not: 
     A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. Therefore, covering the sun from the earth and vice versa. So You would expect that these things don't happen often. They don’t happen often but in the grand scheme of things. They happen rather a lot. 

     This year's solar eclipse is similar to any of the previous ones we have had. But the thing with this one, is we (Madison/Huntsville) will not be able to see the full eclipse as it is not lined up with the eclipse’s path. The eclipse’s path is a line that travels up through Texas. It will hit places like El Paso, TX. After that, it will go through northern New Mexico. Then it will travel up to Nevada and Oregon. It will head out to the ocean. So We will not be able to see this eclipse very well. The Huntsville area will only see about 50% of the full Annular Eclipse. There will be small parts of states like Utah and Arizona that will see it to its full potential too. 

     Some cities that the solar eclipse will hit are Kerrville, TX, Albuquerque, NM, Eugene, OR and Elko, NV. 

     If you have not experienced an Annular Eclipse… You will need to wear a special pair of glasses to protect your eyes from the Sun and the surface of the sun as it is not fully covered. If you were to look at the eclipse without your glasses for long enough, it could cause blindness and retinal burns within your eyes. 

     There will be places like UAH that will be hosting an event on campus where you can get the special glasses. They will be talking and educating others on these types of events. It will be in the Changer Union building. This event will be going on from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

     The thing with Solar eclipse, they do not last long. Some of the shortest ones only lasted about 10 seconds. And some of the longest can last up to 7 and a half minutes. The one that will last this 7.5 minutes will be on July 16, 2186. So most of us, if not all of us, will not live to see the day of the 7.5-minute-long solar eclipse. 

We did have a Solar Eclipse back in 2017. It was incredibly close. To see it fully, you would just have to drive up the Nashville. So that eclipse was a much bigger deal in the Madison and Huntsville area, compared to this eclipse that is happening on Oct, Saturday 14th.