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October’s new moon will bring us a spectacular ‘ring of fire’ eclipse

Vaseline October 2, 2024

The new moon takes place on Wednesday, October 2 at 2:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time (1849 GMT), according to the US Naval Observatoryand for observers in the southeastern Pacific islands and southern Chile and Argentina there will be one annular solar eclipse.

A new moon phase occurs when the sun and the moon are on the same line drawn from one celestial pole to the other. Usual, the moon appears to be above or below the sun as seen from Earth – it ‘misses’ – but about twice a year the two line up just right so that we see a solar eclipse, the only time a new moon appears at all is visible. There are two types of solar eclipses: total and annular. During a total solar eclipse, the sun appears to darken and turn black, although you can still see the solar corona, the the atmosphere of the sun. In an annular solar eclipse, one can still see a ring (or ring) of light around the moon without seeing the corona, which is overwhelmed by the small visible part of the solar disk. The eclipse on October 2 is of the latter kind. The reason for the different types of eclipses is that the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle; sometimes the moon is a little closer or further away. Although the difference is small, it is just enough to change the apparent size of the moon in the sky.

An important note about observing solar eclipses: always use proper safety equipment, and never view the sun directly through any optical aids. Even when the sun looks dim (such as during sunset or sunrise), a camera lens, low-power binoculars, or spotterscope, let alone a telescope, will concentrate the sun’s light and energy into your eye. This can cause retinal burns and permanent vision damage, even blindness. The safest thing you can do is view a solar eclipse through filtered glasses designed specifically for this purpose, or project an image of the eclipse onto a large flat surface behind a telescope or mounted binoculars. As a general rule, if it isn’t specifically designed for solar power, don’t use it to watch a solar eclipse.

Related: How to Watch the Sun Safely (and What to Look For)

The eclipse path begins in the central Pacific Ocean on the morning of October 3 (because it is on the other side of the International Date Line – 12 hours before UTC), near Palmyra Atoll (which has no permanent population). The closest populated areas where at least a partial solar eclipse will occur are Hawaii and American Samoa. In Hawaii, the largest partial solar eclipse will be visible from the southern end of Hawaii Island (the Big Island). In the city of Na’alehu, the solar eclipse will begin before sunrise on October 3, which is at 6:13 am. Hawaiian Standard Time. The maximum solar eclipse is at 6:46 am and the eclipse ends at 7:57 am. The moon will cover about 53 percent of the sun. When the sun rises above the horizon, the moon is at its peak; the “horns” of the partially eclipsed sun will point upward.

In American Samoa, observers from Apia will see the solar eclipse already underway when the sun rises at 6:08 a.m. local time. The maximum solar eclipse, when about 29 percent of the Sun is covered by the Moon, is at 6:18 AM, and the eclipse ends an hour later at 7:18 AM. Because American Samoa is in the Southern Hemisphere, the horns are pointed downwards. towards the horizon.

The full annular solar eclipse will be visible from Easter Island, where it will begin at 12:23 a.m. local time on October 2 (while the moon’s shadow has crossed the date line). The sun will be in the northeast. At 2:04 p.m. the sun forms the ring around the moon. The maximum eclipse is at 2:07 PM and the annularity ends at 2:10 PM, with the eclipse ending at 3:52 PM

Related: Why I go to Easter Island for the annular solar eclipse

The eclipse then reaches mainland Chile and Argentina; In Argentina, the annular solar eclipse will be visible in Bahia Laura, Santa Cruz province, starting at 4:05 PM local time. Cancellation starts at 5:25 PM and ends at 5:31 PM. The eclipse ends at 6:43 PM with the sun low in the west.

The nocturnal planets

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For those who can’t see it solar eclipsethere are still the nocturnal planets. At the latitude of New York City, Chicago, or Sacramento, Venus will be quite close to the horizon at sunset; with a clear, flat horizon and a cloudless sky you can catch it – it’s setting in New York City 7:52 PM on October 2just over an hour after sunset 6:35 PM

Around 8 p.m Saturn will be visible to the southeast, about 25 degrees above the horizon in New York City. The planet reaches its highest altitude of 41 degrees at approx 11:12 PM local time and it goes down 4:45 am October 3.

Jupiter takes off 10:02 PM local time in New York, so the planet is visible most of the night as it moves across the southern half of the sky. The planet will reach its highest point (the so-called ‘crossing of the meridian’ or ‘transit’) on October 3 at 5:28 a.m. Eastern Time, about 72 degrees high. The planet sets during the day; at 12:53 pm on October 3.

Mars rises at 11:46 PM October 2 and reaches a high of 66 degrees at 6 a.m. on October 3 as the sky lightens (the New York sunrise is at 6:55 am)

The timing of planetary ascent and descent roughly follows latitude; observation conditions will be similar in cities like Boston, Chicago, Denver or Sacramento; local times will be similar (for example, on October 2, Jupiter rises at 9:53 PM in Chicago and 10:09 PM in Denver).

For sky watchers in the Southern Hemisphere the situation will be different, because the sky is ‘inverted’. Venus is much easier to see from locations in the Southern Hemisphere; the planet will set in Santiago, Chile at 10:18 p.m.; sunset is at 7:46 PM on October 2; by 8 p.m. Venus will be 27 degrees high in the west.

Jupiter rises 1:20 am in Santiago, Chile on October 2 and transits at 6:18 a.m. local time, when it is about 34 degrees above the northern horizon, about an hour before local sunrise at 7:17 a.m. Saturn, which rises in the afternoon at 5:35 p.m. local time; sunset is at 5:45 p.m. The planet passes by 11:59 PM at an altitude of 65 degrees.

Mars rises in Santiago on October 2 at 3:07 am. At sunrise at 7:17 a.m., the planet is visible for about two and a half hours before the sun drowns it out.

And if you want to take the photo night skywe have tips for photographing the night sky and photographing the planets, as well as guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.

Stars and constellations

From mid-northern latitudes in early October, the summer constellations of the zodiac – Archer, Ophiuchus and Scorpio – leave the sky to make way for the autumn groups stars. At 8 p.m. Sagittarius is low in the southwest; Scorpio sets and half below the horizon. The Summer Triangle, consisting of Vega, Altair and Deneb, is located near the zenith; Vega is the highest of the three stars with Deneb on the left and Altair towards the horizon.

If you turn north you will see the Big dipper close to the horizon, with the spoon appearing right side up (the bowl facing up). You can use the hands, the stars Dubhe and Merak on the right side (the “front” of the bowl) to find Polaristhe pole star. Dubhe is the top star; Merak is underneath.

Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper, and when the sky is dark and you’re far away from city lights, the curve of the Little Dipper’s handle is easier to see. Continuing the line from the Big Dipper via Polaris, you reach Caph, or Beta Cassiopeiae. Together with four other bright stars, it forms Cassiopeia, a “W”-shaped constellation. Between Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor stands Cepheus, the king, Cassiopeia’s husband. Cepheus’ brightest stars form a triangle on top of a square; rather like a man with a pointed hat. Below is Cassiopeia Perseusthe hero, rising in the northeast.

Looking south from the bottom of the “W” of Cassiopeia (this will be on the right if you look east before about 10 p.m.) you will encounter the two long curved lines of stars that form Andromeda, Cassiopeia’s daughter, mark. If you follow Andromeda’s stars up and to the right, you will reach Andromeda’s head, which is part of a asterism called the Great Square. One corner of the square is the head of Andromeda, while the other three are the wing of Pegasus.

As the night progresses and you look northeast, you can see Capella; the star rises at 7:30 PM, but by 10:00 PM it is high enough to be seen more easily. Capella is the brightest star in Auriga, the Charioteer. The constellation Cetus is also above the horizon. Cetus is often depicted as a whale, and the name is related to the word cetacean, which zoologists use to describe the order of mammals including whales, dolphins and porpoises. Looking south (to the right) of Cetus and closer to the southern horizon one can see Fomalhaut, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. Fomalhaut is a first-size star that is also one of the Sun’s closest neighbors, 25 light years away.

In the Southern Hemisphere, sunsets are later as the austral summer approaches, so the sky doesn’t really get dark until around 9 p.m. Observers there will see the Southern Cross low in the southwest, just below Hadar and Rigil Kentaurus, which can be found by following the “string” of the cross north (up from the horizon). If you turn left and look southeast, you will see Achernar, the end of the Eridanus River, about 37 degrees high. If you look the other way, to the west, you can see Antaresthe heart of Scorpio (which is below the horizon in the northern latitudes) – you can find it because Venus, the brightest planet, will be below it. Scorpio is “upside down”: Scorpio’s claws point toward the horizon and the tail curves toward the zenith, creating a fishhook shape that ends about 60 degrees above the horizon. Above Scorpio is the teapot shape of Sagittarius.

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October’s new moon will bring us a spectacular ‘ring of fire’ eclipse

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