An annular solar eclipse is expected to hit North America on Saturday, Oct. 14., starting around 8 a.m. (NASA/YouTube)

By Jordan Davidson

ring of fire

‘Really an incredible event:’ partial solar eclipse visible from Nanaimo, weather permitting

Oct 11, 2023 | 6:23 PM

NANAIMO — Astronomers and star-gazers alike will be up early this weekend to take in a partial solar eclipse.

Astronomy professor at Vancouver Island University Dr. Gregory Arkos said the show will start around 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 as the moon slowly moves directly between the sun and the Earth.

But it won’t be a total solar eclipse for those of us on Vancouver Island.

“It’s what’s called an annular solar eclipse, a particular kind of solar eclipse. This occurs when we have the moon get in between the earth and the sun, and when that alignment is almost perfect, there’s a chance that some of the moon’s shadow will end up hitting the earth.”

If the shadow hits your location, you’ll see the moon in front of the sun.

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For the central Island, Arkos said about 80 per cent of the sun will be blocked out with the peak viewing time around 9:30 a.m.

To get the best view he suggests a good east/southeast facing viewpoint which is low to the horizon.

While the weather forecast is currently calling for clouds and showers Saturday morning which could limit the view of the eclipse, Arkos said it is never safe to look directly into the sun, even during a partial solar eclipse.

“You can get permanently damaged by the sun even for a brief look at the sun when it’s uncovered like this. In this case, you need to have your eclipse glasses, make sure they are proper eclipse glasses that have no scratches or punctures in them, or you can use a solar filter on a telescope.”

Special eclipse sunglasses like these will allow you to safely view the solar eclipse. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Akros said the moon is obviously much smaller than the Earth and the sun, and having a total solar eclipse is pretty rare unless you live in a certain area.

The region of North America expected to see almost a full solar eclipse runs through the American state of Oregon heading southeast through Texas towards the east side of Mexico.

“Those people will get to see 99 per cent of the sun blocked out with a little thin ring of light around the moon still showing,” said Arkos. “That’s called an annular eclipse because of the circular ring of light.”

The last time a partial solar eclipse occurred was in August 2017, with the next one occurring in early April 2024.

Nanaimo is only expected to see about 20 per cent sun coverage for next year’s event, but Arkos said he would highly recommend taking in the full experience if possible.

“This doesn’t happen all that often, so it’s worth getting out and seeing one of these, and in the future if you think you want to see a real show, go see a total solar eclipse…it’s one of those things that it’s hard to describe it but seeing one in person is really an incredible event.”

If the weather doesn’t cooperate for the mid-Island, NASA will be broadcasting the annular solar eclipse on their YouTube channel.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow