Oct 11, 2023 - Things to Do
Solar eclipse path clips Colorado
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Colorado and the West will get a rare opportunity to see a solar eclipse Saturday.
Why it matters: It's the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from the U.S. until 2039, writes Axios' Kelly Tyko.
What to know: The path of totality for the "ring of fire" eclipse stretches through New Mexico and goes right through the Four Corners into Utah and Nevada. Most of Colorado will see 80% obscuration of the sun.
Be smart: An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth, per NASA.
- Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and doesn't completely cover it.
- This causes the Moon to appear as a "dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk," creating the "ring of fire" effect, NASA said.
Flashback: The last annular solar eclipse crossed the western states in May 2012.