Thursday, May 17, 2012

"Ring of Fire" Eclipse of the Sun May 20th

The total eclipse of the sun is the kind of solar event that won't occur for another 10 years with the best viewing in southern Utah.


The earth, moon and sun will align which is creating this eclipse.  The event starts at 6:20 pm when the moon moves in front of the sun producing the annular solar eclipse which is called the "ring of fire" eclipse.  The full eclipse starts at 7:31 pm and lasts about 4 minutes at a low vantage point.


Such an eclipse can occur multiple times a year, but it can only be viewed from a small portion of the planet.  The difference between an annular eclipse and a full eclipse depends on how far from earth the moon is as it makes its elliptical orbit. When the moon is farther, it blocks only about 90 percent of the sun, causing an annular eclipse.


Eye burn • It’s a delightful sight, but this ring of fire will indeed burn, burn, burn if viewers don’t have proper eye protection.

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