2023-10-14 22:01:28
Millions of Americans were able to observe an annular eclipse on Saturday, October 14, with the Moon having covered the Sun for a few minutes, revealing a “ring of fire”. The eclipse should then be visible in several countries in Central and South America (Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, etc.).
During an annular eclipse, the Moon is a little further from Earth than during a total eclipse, and its diameter therefore appears, from our point of view, slightly smaller than that of the Sun – which produces this ” ring “ orange. The event is also a scientific opportunity for NASA, which plans to closely study changes in temperature and atmosphere.
“The orange ring” seen from Penonome, Panama, during the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023. LUIS ACOSTA / AFP
To admire it, special certified glasses must be worn, even for those further away from the optimal observation zone, who will therefore only see a partial eclipse, insisted the American space agency.
The eclipse was visible shortly after 9 a.m. local time (6 p.m. in Paris) in the US state of Oregon on the Pacific coast, and crossed the United States from northwest to south, up to appearing almost half an hour later in the sky over South Texas.
Residents of Guatemala City observe the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023. JOHAN ORDEREZ / AFP Ezra Martinez (10 years old) watches the solar eclipse from Albuquerque, New Mexico (United States), October 14, 2023. ADRIA MALCOLM / REUTERS
In Albuquerque, a large annual hot air balloon festival taking place at the same time produced sensational images.
Hot air balloons begin their ascent during a festival during the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 in Albuquerque, United States. ADRIA MALCOLM / REUTERS
This eclipse, “it’s majestic”described Shannon Cozad, who came to the festival and said to herself “amazed”. For Mubaraq Sokunbi, 8 years, “It’s like a kind of black hole! ». “The Moon covers the Sun and then there is a circle around it”adds the boy who came with his family to the festival.
Three sounding rockets launched by NASA
Unfortunately, clouds hovered over parts of Oregon and Texas, according to the US National Weather Service, obscuring the phenomenon. In total, the eclipse could be observed in parts of eight American states.
The “ring of fire” corresponding to the circumference of the Sun lasts from a few tens of seconds to more than five minutes, depending on the location of observation. In the USA, “more than 6.5 million people live in the path of the eclipse”, explained Alex Lockwood of NASA at a press conference. Some 68 million people live within about 300 kilometers of the route, or just a few hours’ drive, she added.
Baseball player Dixon Machado, of the Houston Astros team, interrupts his training to observe the eclipse in Houston, Texas (United States), October 14, 2023. TONY GUTIERREZ / AP
The event also served as a dress rehearsal before a total eclipse planned for April 2024 over the United States. These two eclipses, annular and total, “are going to be absolutely mind-blowing for scientific research”said Madhulika Guhathakurta, scientist in NASA’s heliophysics department. “During a solar eclipse there is a significant drop in the density of electrons in the ionosphere”, a layer of the atmosphere, she explained. And “even though the atmospheric effects of solar eclipses have been studied for more than 50 years, many questions persist”, she emphasized. For example, “How much of the ionosphere is affected, for how long, and why is this the case? »
NASA had prepared to launch three sounding rockets from the White Sands military base in New Mexico: one before the eclipse, one during, and one after the event. The goal: to collect data on the magnetic and electric fields, the density of electrons, and the temperature, which dropped because of the shadow produced by the Moon. This could also have destabilized the animals.
A man and his daughter watch the eclipse in Guatemala City (Guatelama) on October 14, 2023. JOHAN ORDEREZ / AFP The start of the solar eclipse seen from Albuquerque, New Mexico (United States), on October 14, 2023. PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP People watch the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 from the archaeological site of Edzna, in the state of Campeche in Mexico. HENRY ROMERO / REUTERS The solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 seen from the archaeological site of Edzna, in the state of Campeche in Mexico. HENRY ROMERO / REUTERS A family observes the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas (United States) ERIC GAY / AP People observe the eclipse in Albuquerque, United States, October 14, 2023. KATIE OYAN / AP A woman observes the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023 in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (United States) GEORGE FREY / AFP
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