Get your glasses: An annular solar eclipse happens Saturday, with total solar eclipse in the spring

PROTECT YOUR EYES… With funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Space Science Institute through its Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program is distributing five million solar viewing glasses to libraries all over the United States. Assistant Director, Alicia Ford (left) and Mary Harrison, Director of the Coloma Public Library model the viewing glasses that are available for free at Coloma and Watervliet libraries, while supplies last.

Millions of Americans could be able to see a spectacular solar eclipse this Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 as the moon passes in front of the sun, temporarily darkening the sky over a swath of the country.

The annular solar eclipse is a sky event during which the moon obscures all but the outer ring of the sun. It will cross North, Central, and South America on Saturday. People directly in the path of this eclipse will see a “ring of fire” effect, as the moon darkens the sun’s center but leaves a bright outer ring.

According to NASA, the path of this annular eclipse’s peak viewing area will sweep diagonally across the U.S. from the lower Pacific Northwest to the Gulf of Mexico.

However, Michigan is not directly in the path of this eclipse, but it will still be interesting to watch from the Tri-City area, as the event will produce a “crescent sun” effect, almost as if the moon is “eating” the sun starting around 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

Total eclipse in spring 2024

Experts say the real showstopper will be in April 2024 when large portions of the country will see an even more impressive total eclipse. This event will be on Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon blocks out the sun in its entirety, creating a breathtaking scene that darkens the sky as if it were dusk or dawn. The path of totality for this eclipse will cross more than a dozen states in an arc that stretches from Texas to Maine, coming as close to the Tri-City area, as Toledo, Ohio.

Anyone planning on viewing either of these spectacles should be sure to have those viewing glasses handy as it is not safe to look directly at the sun or an eclipse without specialized eye protection. Or through a camera lens, binoculars, or telescope without a special solar filter.

Free solar eclipse glasses

Five million pairs of solar protection glasses are being distributed for free to libraries across the U.S. as part of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation-funded Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries project. The project is giving out solar viewing glasses to 13,000 public libraries across the U.S. It’s the largest single eclipse outreach effort in the U.S. Coloma Public Library and Watervliet District Library will be passing out viewing glasses while supplies last.

Maps and data on these eclipses and their timing are online at nasa.gov.