In October. 2, a Annular solar eclipse It will be visible from the southern hemisphere. During this event, the Moon does not completely cover the Sun from our perspective on Earth, so it leaves a “ring of fire” around the Moon.
The moon’s shadow will appear to move at vastly different speeds depending on your location. In some places, it will be moving at speeds faster than 6 million mph (10 million km/h); In other cases, it will travel as slow as 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h), or at the speed of a fighter jet.
During the annular Solar eclipseThe moon’s shadow will be cast on it land From northwest to southeast, but since the planet is round, the shadow will travel across a curved surface. Hence the distance between the place experiencing the eclipse and the place moon It will constantly change. As well as the orbital speed of the moon. Combined, these factors mean that the speed of the shadow will vary greatly.
Here’s a look at where the moon’s shadow will move fastest and slowest so you can plan accordingly 2024 annular solar eclipse. Remember that during an annular solar eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at it The sun without Solar eclipse glasses Designed for solar display. Read our guide on How to observe the sun safely.
Related to: Where can I see the annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024?
The annular eclipse will move faster
The event will begin at eclipse sunrise, peak at midday and end with eclipse sunset. The Earth’s curvature makes a big difference in the apparent speed of the Moon’s shadow across its surface, with the edges of the path experiencing the fastest speeds of all. After all, this is where the shadow hits the ground with the greatest tangent.
When it first strikes the mid-Pacific Ocean, south of Hawaii, the Moon’s “umbral shadow” — through which the “ring of fire” will be visible — will move at an astonishing speed of 5.31 million mph (8.55 million km/h). According to Xavier Jubier Interactive eclipse map. When it leaves the planet 229 minutes later, near the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic, it will do so at a speed of 6.25 million miles per hour (10 million km/h).
At these precise moments, the Moon’s shadow will be touching and leaving the Earth, so the speed of the shadow will be essentially infinite. This makes these alarming numbers largely meaningless. Therefore, it is useful to take into account the speed of the shadow at the points where the ring of fire appears dead on the horizon. At those points, the moon’s shadow will be moving at 5,131 mph (8,258 km/h) and 8,893 mph (14,312 km/h), respectively.
The annular eclipse will move more slowly
The ring of fire will last longer when the moon’s shadow moves slower. In this case, the ring of fire will appear for 7 minutes and 25 seconds, as seen only from a point in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Easter Island/Rapa Nui, where the moon’s shadow will move at a paltry 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h). h).
Why so slow? At this point, it will be midday locally, the sun will be closest to the sky (about 68 degrees above north), and the weather will be cool. The distance between the Earth and the Moon It will be minimal. Therefore, the Moon’s shadow will be as close to perpendicular to the surface as possible, so it will appear to be moving at its slowest. This is where the shadow will take the longest to move across the Earth’s surface, so from within it, the ring of fire will be visible the longest.
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