SAN ANTONIO – Texas, and more specifically some areas of San Antonio and the Hill Country, have the rare luck of seeing two solar eclipses within six months.
The first is an annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and the second is a total solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8, 2024.
KSAT Meteorologist Justin Horne breaks it down in the media player at the top of this article.
“An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth,” according to NASA. “Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the star. This creates a ‘ring of fire’ effect in the sky.”
NASA explains that a total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.
During a total solar eclipse, the entire sun is covered for several minutes making it appear dark outside.
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. won’t occur until Aug. 23, 2044.
During an annular solar eclipse the moon never completely blocks the sun, making it unsafe to look directly at the sun without eye protection designed specifically for solar viewing.
There is a brief period during a total solar eclipse where the moon completely blocks out the sun making it safe for viewing directly, otherwise, special eye protection is required.
San Antonio is expected to see totality for several minutes during the April 2024 event.
Eclipse glasses are one option for viewing the eclipse, or you can also just a pinhole projector. Here’s how to make a pinhole projector.
Do you have any newsworthy photos or videos to share? Upload them to KSAT Connect online or through the KSAT Weather App.
More headlines: