Last Updated on October 12, 2023 by Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller

Here’s an update from our local Solar System Ambassador Pam Roller:

This is a lot of very IMPORTANT information to help you view this partial solar eclipse safely.

Included are a few quick videos clips to help too.

There will be an annular solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14^th. The eclipse traveling across North, Central, and South America is an annular solar eclipse. This stunning event occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth while it’s at its farthest point from the planet, causing a black ring of red fiery rim, according to NASA.

The Indianapolis Star reporter John Tufts has reported that Hoosiers in the Indianapolis area can catch this rare sight and view it (weather pending) around 9:39 a.m. and it doesn’t end until 2:28 p.m. It will only be a partial eclipse and the time when the sun will be most covered by the moon will be around 1:00 p.m. There won’t be another solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until June 2039.

Scientists at NASA advise people watching the solar eclipse to take the following precautions:

Always use solar viewers or eclipse glasses which are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses and they comply with international safety standards to watch a solar eclipse.

Inspect your eclipse glasses or handheld viewers for scratches. If damaged, discard them.

Always supervise children using solar viewers.

DO NOT look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other device while wearing eclipse glasses. The concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and can cause serious eye injury. You need to wear eclipse glasses or make a pinhole projector made with a box for safety for both partial and total solar eclipses. If you don’t have solar glasses, making a pinhole projector is relatively simple and the instructions can be found online.

Credit: NASA

How to Safely View an Annular Eclipse

Credit: NASA Goddard

Guide to viewing the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse | October 14, 2023

Credit: Sky and Telescope

Eye Safety During an Annular Eclipse

Check out this link for info:

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2023/safety/

Credit: National Park Service, Joy Ng, Credit: NASA, NASA/Ryan Milligan, Carolyn Slivinski

This is not a video; it is an informational read with huge photos showing the safety tips.

This annular partial solar eclipse is practice for the TOTAL solar eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be hosting NASA for the Total Solar Eclipse.