The annular solar eclipse (also called the "ring of fire) will happen on Saturday, and while the Tri-State won't see a full eclipse, we will still get a pretty cool view!

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Annular Solar Eclipse

On Saturday, October 14th, an annular solar eclipse will happen.  Annular isn't to be confused with annually.   According to NASA, an annular solar eclipse is not a total eclipse since the moon is farther away from Earth, it won't fully cover the sun leaving it to look like a ring in the sky.  Hence the name "ring of fire."

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun. As a result, the Moon appears as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the Moon. The next annular eclipse in the U.S. will be on Oct. 14, 2023.

While the annular solar eclipse will absolutely be incredible to see, in the tri-state we won't see the full ring of fire, but don't worry, we'll still get to see something pretty cool on Saturday!

Our Area will See a Partial Solar Eclipse

During the annular solar eclipse on Saturday, the Tri-State area will experience a partial solar eclipse, which will still be quite the spectacle in the sky.  The moon will cover part of the sun and we will see a crescent shape.   Now, please remember even though the moon is blocking part of the sun, you still need eclipse glasses or other proper eye protection to look up at this eclipse.

How Much of the Eclipse Will the Tri-State See?

According to NationalEclipse.com, the city of Evansville will see 50.2% obscuration at 12:01:47 PM.  So if you're in the Tri-State area look to the sky around noon to see a pretty cool sight!  The way our area will get to view the eclipse it seems east of us will see the eclipse a tad before Evansville and west of us will see the maximum eclipse a tad after Evansville.  You can see the rundown of the path, and learn more about the annular eclipse, here.

While viewing a partial eclipse from the Evansville area will still be super neat to see, we will see a total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024, so if anything, use this as your reminder to get those eclipse glasses ordered!