- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
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Western Hemisphere readies for a 'Ring of Fire' eclipse
Skygazers across the Americas are in for a celestial treat on Saturday: an annular solar eclipse.
These occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth at its furthest point from our planet. Since it is so distant, it doesn't cover the Sun completely, creating a "ring of fire" effect.
In the United States, the most striking "path of the annularity" will cross a handful of major cities, including Eugene, Oregon, Alburquerque, New Mexico, and San Antonio, Texas, between 9:15 am to 11:50 am in local time zones, according to NASA, with partial eclipse phases lasting an hour or two before and after.
At any given location, it will be visible from between 30 seconds and five minutes -- but people are urged to take safety precautions and use solar viewing glasses, and never regular sunglasses, to preserve their vision.
"Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer —- the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury," NASA says.
Next it will cross Mexico and Central America, then into South America through Colombia and northern Brazil before ending at sunset in the Atlantic Ocean.
For those not lucky enough to be in the path of this special astronomical transit, NASA is also planning a live broadcast on nasa.gov/nasatv/ from 11:30am to 1:15 pm eastern time (1530 to 1715 GMT) from Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well as Carville, Texas and White Sands New Mexico.
- Sounding rockets -
The event also serves as a dress rehearsal before a total eclipse set for April 2024.
Both eclipses are going to be "absolutely breathtaking for science," said Madhulika Guhathakurta, a heliophysics program scientist.
Solar eclipses have a noticeable effect on the upper atmosphere, such as the ionosphere which is full of charged particles and responsible for reflecting and refracting radio waves.
"Although the atmospheric effects of solar eclipses have been studied for over 50 years, many unanswered questions remain," said Guhathakurta.
To study these effects, NASA will launch three rockets from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to gather data on the electric and magnetic fields, electron density, and temperature.
A total eclipse took place in 2017 in the United States. After next April's total eclipse, the next one will take place in 2044, while the next annular eclipse will be in 2046.
O.Hansen--CPN