Annular eclipse in the Land of Enchantment
New Mexico & the Four Corners area enjoyed prime views of last Saturday’s astronomical event.
Crazy cool! Shadows cast by tree branches and leaves reflect the crescent shape of the sun as it’s covered by the moon.
Saturday, October 14, was more than just a beautiful fall day at the peak of leaf-peeping season here in Santa Fe. New Mexico was also one of the US states that lay under the path of greatest visibility of the 2023 annular solar eclipse. An annular eclipse differs from a total solar eclipse in that the moon’s shadow is slightly smaller than the disk of the sun, and the edge of the sun forms a ring of light around the edge of the moon’s shadow. The sun’s surface has been fairly quiet recently, so there weren’t any dramatic flares in “The Ring of Fire.”
The Navajo (Diné) nation closed all of the public parks and monuments in their tribal territory Saturday. This included such landmarks as Monument Valley in Utah. The Navajo regard eclipses as spiritually profound moments in which the sun is reborn. Traditional religion practitioners are expected to go to their family hogan or at least remain indoors in their home to fast and pray during the sun’s transformation.
The next total solar eclipse will be on April 8, 2024. The travel path of the eclipse will enter North America at Mazatlan, Mexico, before passing through Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana & Ohio, upstate New York, Montreal, Canada, and exiting North America via Newfoundland, Canada. The best odds for clear viewing are in Texas and Mexico. Spring skies in the Midwest and Canada are too often cloudy to guarantee a good view!
Here are some links to learn more about the recent eclipse, and next year’s event:
NASA’s livestream of the Oct. 14 event, plus lots of extra resources
wow, those shadows are incredible! They would translate beautifully to fabric as a pattern.
Sounds amazing to see! I might just need to plan a trip to texas next April 💖