MERCED, Calif. — This Saturday, much of the North American continent will get to witness an annular solar eclipse. It’s expected to be seen even in Central and South America.
It’s been more than a decade since an annular eclipse was last seen.
Annular eclipses are about as rare as total solar eclipses. These occur “when the Moon is closer to its maximum distance from Earth in its orbit,” according to the National Weather Service.
This type of solar eclipse last happened in 2012, and the next one isn’t expected to happen for another six years. So, naturally, people in the San Joaquin Valley are gearing up to catch a glimpse.
According to NASA, the annular solar eclipse will begin in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and will end in Texas at 12:03 p.m. Central Time.
Earlier this week, Bob Davies, a geology professor at Merced College, twiddled with a sun funnel and a telescope – two pieces of equipment he’ll be using to safely view the solar eclipse.
Both pieces of equipment allow someone to see the sun – or what may be covering the sun. Merced College plans to host dozens of people to view the eclipse.
The group plans to bring the sun funnel, a telescope with a projector, solar glasses and pinhole projectors to the front lawn along Yosemite Avenue in Merced on Saturday from around 9 to 9:45 a.m.
How this eclipse is different
While typical solar eclipses happen when the moon crosses over the sun, this eclipse will only partially do that, creating what Davies describes as a donut-like “ring of fire.”
Because of this, Davies says to be careful.
“Never stare at the sun or look at it for even an instant with the unprotected eye,” Davies says, “Instant damage can occur.”
For those staying home, Davies says one easy way to view the eclipse is to use a few simple materials.
“Get a piece of cardboard and put literally a size of a pinhole in it and then use that little pinhole to project that image onto another piece of white paper,” Davies says. “You should be able to see the image of the sun.”
Davies says if you don't have a pin or a piece of paper – or a piece of cardboard – you can always take your hands and cross your fingers to make “little holes.”
The light shining through there will show on the ground, he says.
A Merced College tradition
Merced college has hosted this event two other times, and Davies says the turnout has varied.
He and the geology club expect this one to have a good turnout because of the time of day, and will plan to have donuts for the first 200 people.
Occurrences like these, although a time to geek out for people with a special interest in science, also brings a sense of perspective.
Jen Cole, a second-year geology student at Merced College, says, “It's an amazing thing to experience something that we're such a small part of.”
