Can you see the ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse from the Carolinas? Here’s what to know
The moon will cross in front of the sun just before sunrise on Thursday, an event visible in North and South Carolina during an annular solar eclipse known as the “Ring of Fire.”
The entire eclipse will only be visible across central and eastern Canada, Space.com reported. But according to NASA, parts of the eastern United States will still be able to experience a partial eclipse either “before, during or shortly after sunrise.”
“During an annular eclipse, the Moon is far enough away from Earth that the Moon appears smaller than the Sun in the sky,” NASA says. “Since the Moon does not block the entire view of the Sun, it will look like a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk.”
In the Carolinas and other parts of the U.S., the sun will be partially obscured. Space.com described it as “a small scallop or bite taken out of the bottom part of the sun as it rises.”
The best way to view it will be to find a “clear view of the horizon during sunrise,” according to NASA.
A map created by GreatAmericanEclipse.com shows what the eclipse will look like at sunrise across parts of the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast. At its southern most visible point in Charleston, the sun will appear to have a small bite taken out of the lower left-hand corner.
In Wilmington, the map shows the sun as more of a crescent shape that deepens as you travel farther north to Cape Hatteras and Virginia Beach.
According to GreatAmericanEclipse.com, the maximum eclipse in the Carolinas will occur just before sunrise and is best viewed over a body of water.
For Charleston, South Carolina, that will be at 5:27 a.m., National Eclipse reports. The maximum eclipse in Columbia, meanwhile, won’t be until 5:29 a.m. The same is true for Raleigh. In Durham, Charlotte and Greensboro, it will come at 5:30 a.m.
Location | Maximum Eclipse Time | Percent of Sun Obscured |
Charleston, S.C. | 5:27:24 a.m. | 63% |
Columbia, S.C. | 5:29:36 a.m. | 65.9% |
Raleigh, N.C. | 5:29:45 a.m. | 67.6% |
Durham, N.C. | 5:30:11 a.m. | 68.1% |
Charlotte, N.C. | 5:30:47 a.m. | 68.0% |
Greensboro, N.C. | 5:30:56 a.m. | 68.8% |
Winston-Salem, N.C. | 5:31:18 a.m. | 69.1% |
*Source: NationalEclipse.com
A separate map by National Eclipse indicates the sun will be below the horizon during the eclipse and not visible for most of the U.S. — including Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.
To safely watch an eclipse, NASA says viewers must wear special eyewear (not sunglasses) known as solar viewing or eclipse glasses. Viewers can also make a pinhole projector to view the eclipse if they don’t have the necessary glasses.
“It is never safe to look directly at the sun’s rays,” NASA says, “even if the sun is partly or mostly obscured.”
The next eclipses will be a partial eclipse of the moon on Nov. 19 followed by a total eclipse of the sun on Dec. 4 that will not be visible in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
