A rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse is coming. How will it look from Kansas and Missouri?
Don’t be alarmed when the skies darken over Kansas City on Oct. 14. It won’t be aliens invading Earth.
A rare solar eclipse is coming.
It will be the first time an annular — or ring-shaped — eclipse has appeared over the United States since May 2012. And it will be the first solar eclipse of any kind since 2017’s total eclipse.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, moon and sun align so that the moon sits in the middle of the three, at least partially blocking the sun from the point of view of a person on the planet, according to NASA.
There are four types of solar eclipses: total, partial, annular eclipse and hybrid.
An annular eclipse, like the one expected Oct. 14, happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, at or near its farthest point from Earth, according to NASA.
The moon appears smaller than the sun since it’s farther away from Earth and it doesn’t completely cover the sun. This is why you might see what some call a “ring of fire” around the moon.
Can you see the annular solar eclipse from Kansas City?
Everyone in the United States will get to experience the eclipse to some degree, even Kansas City residents.
The path of the totality — meaning the moment when the sun is obscured when viewed from a given position — begins in western Oregon before traveling southeast through northern Nevada and into Utah.
Residents in the path of totality will see about 91% of the sun blocked at the eclipse’s peak, according to astronomy news site Space.com, with the 9% being the ring of fire around the outer edge.
Kansas Citians in Missouri and Kansas will see around 61% of the sun blocked out. The ring around the edge of the sun won’t be visible from this part of the country.
In Kansas, the partial eclipse starts at 10:16 a.m. and lasts until 1:24 p.m. In Missouri it lasts from 10:24 a.m. to 1:33 p.m.
Even in a partial eclipse, it’s not safe for you to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. NASA says that you must look through safe solar viewing glasses or a safe handheld solar viewer when watching a solar eclipse directly with your eyes.
NASA also says that you should not look at the “sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.”
When is the next solar eclipse?
If you miss this solar eclipse, there’s a six-month wait for the next one. A total solar eclipse happens on April 8, 2024.
The path enters the United States through the Mexico-Texas border and travels northeast, through Arkansas, Missouri and into the northeast U.S.
It’ll be a partial solar eclipse for Kansas City residents, as the city will be outside the path.
The city of Poplar Bluff in southeast Missouri will be right in the path and will experience the totality, according to Time and Date, a tracking site for time zones, the weather and sun and moon locations.
