{"id":18767,"date":"2023-10-08T04:06:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T09:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=18767"},"modified":"2023-10-08T04:06:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T09:06:08","slug":"eclipse-fever-starts-now-heres-where-to-see-the-upcoming-ring-of-fire-eclipse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=18767","title":{"rendered":"Eclipse fever starts now. Here\u2019s where to see the upcoming \u2018ring of fire\u2019 eclipse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over large swaths of the Americas this month and next April, too, all eyes will be on the skies during two spectacular events.
Between the\u00a0\u201cring of fire\u201d\u00a0annular eclipse coming up on October 14, 2023, and the\u00a02024 total solar eclipse\u2002happening on April 8, 2024, viewers on land in the United States and neighboring countries are in for two major celestial moments as the moon passes between Earth and the sun.
And while the total solar eclipse is a bigger draw for most travelers since it promises totality (darkness during the moments when the moon covers the sun entirely), tourists are targeting areas in the annular eclipse\u2019s path, too.
Car-sharing website\u00a0Turo\u00a0reports seeing an uptick in car bookings in major cities in Oregon, New Mexico and Texas near the annular eclipse\u2019s path.
Booking.com\u00a0similarly reports increased searches for San Antonio, Texas, the largest US city in the annular eclipse\u2019s path, for the period of October 13 to 15, 2023, compared with the same period last year.
Path of the \u2018ring of fire\u2019 eclipse
During October\u2019s annular eclipse, which starts at 9:13 a.m. PT along the Oregon coast and ends in the United States in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CT, the moon will cover over 90% of the sun\u2019s surface as it passes in front of it (as opposed to 100% coverage during a total eclipse).
The uncovered portion creates a striking \u201cring of fire\u201d effect that can be seen when using protective viewing glasses during annularity, as the moon moves directly in front of the sun.
The path continues\u00a0through parts of Central and South America (Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Brazil) before finishing its run at sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.
For many, the event is being seen as a sort of warm-up for the 2024 total solar eclipse, which professor\u00a0Mark Littmann\u00a0calls \u201cthe gold standard\u201d of eclipse viewing.
And while it will never get as dark during October\u2019s annular eclipse as it does during a total solar eclipse, some interesting effects may be possible to observe, says Littmann, a professor of science writing at the University of Tennessee and co-author of\u00a0\u201cTotality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024.\u201d\u2002
\u201cThe sky may take on some unusual color in terms of a steely gray flatness, blues may be a different color. These things depend on the weather, too,\u201d Littman said. \u201cIt may cool down just a little bit. It gives you a kind of an omen of what a total eclipse would look like.\u201d
Viewing an annular eclipse is far from routine: The next one won\u2019t happen over the contiguous United States until 2046.\u00a0
For viewers in the path of the eclipse who get a clear-sky view on the event at the moment of annularity, the \u201cring of fire\u201d will not only \u201clook really cool,\u201d says Debra Ross, co-chair of the\u00a0American Astronomical Society\u2019s Eclipse Task Force, but drive home Earth\u2019s place in the universe, too, with the moon so clearly between us and the sun.
\u201cFor lots of people, that\u2019s worth traveling for,\u201d Ross says.
If you\u2019re looking for great places to put yourself in the path of annularity for the October 14 eclipse, read on.
Utah\u2019s national parks
\u201cNational parks that are known for their spectacular landscapes will be especially attractive to photographers looking to capture wide-angle shots of the eclipsed sun,\u201d Richard Tresch Fienberg, senior contributing editor for astronomy publication\u00a0Sky & Telescope, told CNN Travel via email
Utah has spectacular parks in the October eclipse\u2019s path including\u00a0Bryce Canyon National Park\u2002and\u00a0Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument\u00a0as well as\u00a0Capitol Reef National Park\u00a0and\u00a0Canyonlands National Park, all of which will see annularity (provided there\u2019s no cloud cover) while remaining open to visitors during the eclipse.
Keep in mind that Navajo Tribal Parks \u2013 including\u00a0Monument Valley\u00a0and\u2002Four Corners Monument, where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado meet \u2013 are closed during the annular eclipse since the Navajo people consider eclipses to be sacred events.
You can make more than a day out of celebrating the eclipse by booking a four-night guided backpacking trip with\u00a0Wildland Trekking\u2002along the Boulder Mail Trail in\u00a0Bryce Canyon Country\u2019s\u00a0Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument that takes you right into the path of annularity.
Albuquerque and Roswell, New Mexico
Imagine seeing an annular eclipse from on high during a hot air balloon ride \u2013 and that\u2019s what some lucky people will be doing during this year\u2019s\u00a0Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which runs from October 7 to 15.
The event\u2019s signature \u201cmass ascension,\u201d when more than 550 balloons rise into the sky, is scheduled to lift off a little over an hour before annularity, adding to the views for people watching from the ground as the moon makes its way between the Earth and the sun. Some balloons may still be in the air at the time of annularity according to festival organizers, and 72 hot air balloons will be displayed on the launch field, another amazing place to watch the spectacle.
Albuquerque\u2019s\u2002Balloon Museum\u00a0is hosting viewing opportunities and presentations with NASA and NOAA representatives during the event and has 80,000 pairs of viewing glasses to hand out to visitors.
Consider hitting the path of annularity in southeastern New Mexico town of Roswell, too.
\u201cYou can bet that more than a few people will want to witness the otherworldly phenomenon of a solar eclipse from the UFO capital of the world,\u201d Clark says. In the city\u2019s downtown district,\u00a0annularity\u00a0will last for about four minutes and 42 seconds, with the Roswell Public Library and\u00a0Cielo Grande Recreation Area\u2002among the locations holding watch events.
San Antonio and Texas Hill Country
\u201cDepending on where in the city someone is (in San Antonio), they have a chance of seeing two solar eclipses from the same place in the span of only six months,\u201d says Dave Clark, who runs the website\u00a0NationalEclipse.com.
Parts of northwest\u00a0San Antonio\u2002\u00a0will be in the paths of both the annular and total eclipses, he says.
Viewing parties\u00a0are planned across town at places ranging from the\u00a0Natural Bridge Caverns\u00a0and\u00a0Mission San Jose\u00a0to the\u00a0Alamo Beer Company, which is debuting a \u201cRing of Fire\u201d beer for the occasion and handing out eclipse-viewing eye protection with the purchase of a beverage.
As of 2 p.m. ET Friday, October 6, many downtown San Antonio hotels within the path of annularity still had rooms available during the October eclipse, including\u00a0Omni La Mansi\u00f3n Del Rio, steps from the San Antonio River Walk, and the nearby\u00a0Mokara Hotel & Spa.
Nearby Kerrville, along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country, is among the towns at the intersection of both eclipses.\u00a0\u00a0Campspot\u00a0told CNN Travel there are still several campgrounds with availability in the area including\u00a0Yogi Bear\u2019s Jellystone Park\u2122 Camp-Resort: Guadalupe River. In nearby Bandera, disc golf, free camping and live music on two stages are among the plans for the family-friendly\u2002Eclipse UTOPIA Festival.
And Uvalde County is hosting the\u00a0Uvalde County Stellar Fest\u2002from October 13 to 16 in the Solar Eclipse Village at Garner State Park, where viewers can look forward to experiencing roughly four minutes and 48 seconds of annularity.
Corpus Christi, Texas
If you want to maximize your time admiring the \u201cring of fire\u201d during annularity, the Texas city of\u00a0Corpus Christi\u00a0along the Gulf of Mexico is a good bet.
\u201cBecause the centerline of the eclipse passes directly through Corpus Christi, the duration of annularity breaks the five-minute mark there,\u201d says Clark, adding that the area will see one of the longest durations of annularity in the United States.
Corpus Christi also has the distinction of being one of the last major parts of the country where October\u2019s annular eclipse can be seen, with crowds sure to pack popular hangouts along the Corpus Christi Bayfront and North Padre Island long before annularity kicks in (around\u00a011:55 a.m. \u00a0local time).
Mayan Sites\u00a0Edzn\u00e1 and Uzmal, Mexico
Ancient Mayan links to astronomy and the celestial world are evident in some of the culture\u2019s more famous pre-Columbian sites in the Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula, including Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1, but it\u2019s just outside the path of annularity, according to Space.com.
For a similarly evocative setting, you\u2019ll need to make for lesser-known Mayan sites such as the UNESCO World Heritage listed\u00a0Uxmal, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the city of M\u00e9rida, and Edzn\u00e1 in Campeche state.
Both are in the path of annularity, and Edzn\u00e1, which was first settled around 600 BC, gives viewers around\u00a042 seconds\u00a0longer to admire the eclipse\u2019s \u201cring of fire,\u201d according to Astronomy.com.
Sky & Telescope is organizing a\u00a010-day tour\u2002of the region during the eclipse that takes in the Mayan sites as well as the main event, with viewing scheduled to take place from a hotel overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in Campeche. You can travel independently to the area of course, too, and stay in M\u00e9rida or Campeche to experience the eclipse at the nearby Mayan sites.
Santa Fe National Park, Panama
Panama\u2019s northwest region is the only part of the country that falls within the path.
Viewers who make it to the wilds of\u00a0Santa Fe National Park\u00a0\u2013 known for having more than 50 waterfalls alongside a dizzying diversity of bird, butterfly and orchid species \u2013 can experience more than five minutes of annularity alongside the park\u2019s natural beauty.
Stay just outside the park in the village of Santa Fe at the family-run\u00a0Coffee Mountain Inn\u2002and you might spot toucans and parrots flying overhead while waiting for the eclipse. Stick around the area for trekking, rural coffee farm tours, horseback riding adventures and more.
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Over large swaths of the Americas this month and next April, too, all eyes will be on the skies during two spectacular events.Between the\u00a0\u201cring of fire\u201d\u00a0annular eclipse coming up on October 14, 2023, and the\u00a02024 total solar eclipse\u2002happening on April 8, 2024, viewers on land in the United States and neighboring countries are in for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18768,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1154],"tags":[23133,23132,20950],"class_list":["post-18767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-eclipse-craze","tag-ring-of-fire","tag-start"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18769,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18767\/revisions\/18769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}