Eclipse Soundscapes Apprentice Training

Lesson 7 - The October 14, 2023 Annular Eclipse

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Video Time: All 0:00-4:29 of this video will play for this lesson.

On October 14, 2023, there will be an annular solar eclipse in the United States. During the annular eclipse the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, blocking its center. This makes the Sun appear as a “ring of fire” rather than a glowing ball. When the Moon passes in front of the Sun, it will cast a dark shadow, called the antumbra, on Earth. During an annular eclipse, the Earth continues to rotate on its axis and both the Moon and Earth keep moving on their orbital paths. Because of this, the antumbral shadow moves across Earth’s surface. The imaginary line it creates is known as the path of annularity. The path of annularity is approximately 125 miles wide and will travel across the United States starting in Oregon. It will travel in a southeast direction until it leaves the United States across Texas. If you are along the annular eclipse path, you will experience an annular eclipse.

If you are near, but not on the annular eclipse path, the moon will only cover part of the Sun. So the shadow will be much lighter. This lighter shadow is called the penumbra or part shadow. It is created when the Moon only blocks part of the Sun from view. If you are in the penumbra, you will experience a partial eclipse. During a partial eclipse, the Sun will appear like a glowing crescent.

Annular Eclipse Safety

Remember, it is never safe to look directly at an annular or partial eclipse without protecting your eyes. Protect your eyes using special eclipse glasses or a solar filter. Go to Eclipse Safety Resources for more eclipse safety information and make sure to review the Apprentice Eclipse Safety Lesson too.

Annular Eclipse Path by State

Video Time: All 0:00-3:42 of this video will play for this lesson.

The 2023 annular eclipse path will stretch diagonally across the United States beginning at Oregon and passing in a diagonal southeast direction across parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

Vocabulary

accurate – correct

annular eclipse – when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but appears to be too small to completely block the Sun

antumbra / antumbral shadow – the darkest shadow beyond the umbra created by the Moon blocking the sun’s light from reaching the Earth during an annular solar eclipse

approximately – almost / more or less

partial eclipse – when the Moon passes in front of the Sun off-center and does not block the surface making the Sun look like a crescent

path of annularity – the path across Earth that the antumbral shadow creates in which people will experience and annular eclipse

penumbra/penumbral shadow – the lighter shadow created during a solar eclipse by the Moon blocking the sun’s light from reaching the Earth

solar filter – a filter added on to a camera or telescope that blocks out most of the Sun’s light to allow the user to look at the Sun

umbra/umbral shadow – the darkest shadow created by the Moon blocking the sun’s light from reaching the Earth during a solar eclipse

Discussion / Notes

Write, draw, or verbally discuss the answers to the following:

Where in the US will people experience an annular solar eclipse on Oct 14, 2023?
Where in the US will people experience a partial solar eclipse on Oct 14, 2023?
When and where should you wear special solar filter glasses if you want to look at the Sun on October 14, 2023?