ROANOKE, Va. – An annular solar eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S. Saturday, October 14, 2023. A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth.
‘Annular’ refers to the fact that the moon will be quite a distance away from the sun, meaning that the sun is never fully obscured like it was during the solar eclipse of 2017.
That said, more than a third of the sun’s surface will be blocked by the full moon around 1:15 p.m. Eastern Time in southwest Virginia on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
If you have your specialized glasses from the eclipse of 2017, take a look up!
Reminder: you should only look directly at the sun if you have specialized viewing glasses.
The best places to be in the U.S. to view the upcoming eclipse will be from Oregon to Nevada, Utah to New Mexico, and parts of Texas.
In the spring of 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible in the U.S. For that one, we’ll be closer to the path of totality.
88% of the sun’s surface will be blocked by the moon in our area on April 8, 2024.