The next solar eclipse will be an annular or "ring of fire" solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023 and will be visible across North America, Central America and most of South America.
The point of greatest eclipse — where viewers could see a ring of fire lasting 5 minutes, 17 seconds — will occur off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
For more information on how and where to see the "ring of fire" solar eclipse, check out our annular solar eclipse 2023 guide.
Related: Lunar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned between Earth and the sun and casts a shadow over Earth. They can only occur during the phase of the new moon and make for an interesting skywatching target.
Types of solar eclipse
There are four types of solar eclipses depending on how the sun, moon and Earth are aligned at the time of the event. A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
- Total solar eclipse: The sun is fully obscured by the moon.
- Partial solar eclipse: The moon doesn't fully block the sun so only a portion of the sun is obscured. Here the moon appears to take a "bite" out of the sun.
- Annular solar eclipse: The moon is centered in front of the sun but doesn't cover the entirety of the surface (as seen in a total solar eclipse). A "ring of fire" shines around the moon.
- Hybrid solar eclipse: The rarest solar eclipse is a combination of a total and annular eclipse (sometimes known as an A-T eclipse) and is produced when the moon's shadow moves across Earth. These begin as one type of eclipse and transition to another.
According to the educational website SpaceEdge Academy, 28% of solar eclipses are total, 35% are partial, 32% are annular and only 5% are hybrid.
April 20, 2023: Hybrid solar eclipse
A rare hybrid eclipse occurred on April 19/20, 2023 at 9:36 p.m. EDT on April 19 (0136 GMT on April 20) and was visible to observers across SE Asia and Australia. A hybrid eclipse will either look like an annular solar eclipse or a total solar eclipse depending on where the observer is located.
This combination is caused by the curvature of the Earth causing some parts of the eclipse path to move into the moon's umbra — the darkest part of the shadow — resulting in a total solar eclipse, while other areas remain outside the umbra's reach, resulting in an annular solar eclipse, according to timeanddate.
During the hybrid solar eclipse, an annular "ring of fire" eclipse was visible for just a few seconds in the Indian and Pacific oceans and isn't visible anywhere on land. A total eclipse was only visible in three locations on land, Exmouth, Western Australia, Timor Leste and West Papua.
Remember, NEVER look at the sun without adequate protection. Our how to observe the sun safely guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations. The guide also informs you on what solar targets you can look out for and the equipment needed to do so.
October 14, 2023: Annular solar eclipse
An annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central and South America on October 14, 2023.
To be able to see all the phases of the annular eclipse including the infamous "ring of fire" you must be located somewhere along the path of annularity.
The annular eclipse will begin in the U.S. and travel from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf coast, passing over Nevada, Utah, New Mexico as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona, according to NASA. It will then continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Panama. South America will also experience the annular eclipse as it passes over Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil.
To see the exact path of annularity check out this interactive map created by Xavier Jubier.
An annular eclipse occurs when the moon appears between the sun and Earth at its farthest point from the Earth — known as apogee. As the moon is farther away it appears smaller and does not completely cover the sun, it doesn't produce a total eclipse. Instead, a thin sun band is visible around the moon, creating the infamous "ring of fire" effect in the sky.
For observers located close to, but not in the direct path of annularity, a partial eclipse will be visible. From Alaska to Argentina, skywatchers will see the moon partly obstruct the sun's disk.
If you want to see where the partial and annular eclipse will be visible and if you will be able to see it, timeanddate have an interactive eclipse map detailing the visibility of the eclipse as well as the specific eclipse times for a given location.
Remember, NEVER look at the sun without adequate protection. Our how to observe the sun safely guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar observations. The guide also informs you on what solar targets you can look out for and the equipment needed to do so.
Solar eclipse FAQs answered by an expert
We asked Jamie Carter, Editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com(opens in new tab) and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024(opens in new tab)some frequently asked questions about solar eclipses.
Related: A total solar eclipse and a 'ring of fire' make 2023 special for eclipse-chasers
Jamie Carter is the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024.
Are solar eclipses dangerous?
Partial solar eclipses are dangerous to look at and require solar eclipse glasses. Binoculars, telescopes and cameras need to have solar filters. However, if it’s a total solar eclipse, during the brief period of totality — when all of the Sun is blocked and it gets dark — it's perfectly safe to remove eye protection.
In fact, you must remove eye protection during totality to see the sun's corona! Nothing is sadder than seeing someone wear eclipse glasses during totality, though either side of totality is a partial solar eclipse, during which extreme care must be taken. There's no need to panic about this because it's very easy to tell when it's safe; you will know when totality is imminent, and when it gets dark it's safe to remove eclipse glasses.
What's the best way to see a solar eclipse?
The best way to see a solar eclipse is to wait for a total solar eclipse and travel to a location within the narrow path of totality that has the greatest chance of a clear sky. Totality is a spine-tingling, indescribable feeling that must be experienced at least once, but it can take significant effort, organization and funds to do.
Are solar eclipses rare?
Solar eclipses are not rare. In fact, they happen between two and five times each year.
However, most are partial solar eclipses, which very few make any effort to see. Total solar eclipses — in which all of the sun is blocked by the Moon — happen only once per year and occur in geographically very narrow corridors called a path of totality. These are the events eclipse-chasers travel to experience. In some years they total solar eclipses don't occur at all, so on average they happen every 18 months or so. On average, a total solar eclipse occurs on any one location on Earth every 375 years — southern Illinois experienced totality on August 21, 2017 and will again on April 8, 2024.
Future solar eclipses
The next time Earth will witness a total solar eclipse is April 8, 2024, and has been dubbed "The Great North American Eclipse" as it will be visible throughout North and Central America. It will start in Mexico, cross into Texas then head northeast into the Ohio River Valley, upstate New York, Quebec, Canada and New England, finally exiting the continent through the Canadian Maritimes.
The maximum duration of totality will last as long as 4 minutes and 26 seconds (over southwest Texas). That's 135 seconds longer than the US average and 40 percent longer than the maximum duration of the 2017 eclipse.
The "Great North American Eclipse" isn't the only solar eclipse to look forward to, here is a list of upcoming solar eclipses according to NASA.
| Year | Date | Type of solar eclipse | Visible locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 20 | Hybrid | SE Asia, E. Indies, Australia, Philippines. New Zealand. Hybrid: Indonesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea |
| 2023 | Oct. 14 | Annular | N America, C. America, S. America |
| 2024 | April 8 | Total | N. America and C. America |
| 2024 | Oct. 02 | Annular | Pacific, S. America |
| 2025 | Mar. 29 | Partial | NW Africa, Europe, N Russia |
| 2025 | Sept. 21 | Partial | S. Pacific, New Zealand, Antarctica |
| 2026 | Feb. 17 | Annular | S. Argentina, Chile, S. Africa, Antarctica |
| 2026 | Aug. 12 | Total | N. America, W. Africa, Europe |
How to view the sun safely
NEVER look at the sun with binoculars, a telescope or your unaided eye without special protection. Astrophotographers and astronomers use special filters to safely observe the sun during solar eclipses or other sun phenomena. Here's our guide on how to observe the sun safely.
To safely observe the sun or watch an eclipse, you need special protective eyewear or eclipse glasses. Basic sunglasses, even those with UV protection, will not sufficiently protect your eyes. If you're planning to document the eclipse with any photo equipment, there are special solar filters you can add to make sure the remaining ring of sunlight doesn't take a toll on your vision.
The safest way to observe an eclipse is indirectly by using a pinhole camera that you can make easily at home.
If you must document one of these events, a simple, wide-angle snap should capture the moment, even if you're using your smartphone camera.
Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing solar eclipse photo and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Additional resources
Want to look further ahead? You can find a concise summary of solar eclipses through to 2030 on NASA's eclipse website. Read more about solar and lunar eclipses on Eclipse Wise — a website dedicated to predictions of eclipses. Learn about eclipses on other planets with this short article from Cornell University's astronomy department.
Bibliography
April 20 hybrid eclipse. Timeanddate. Retrieved October 27 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2023-april-20
October 14 annular eclipse. Timeanddate. Retrieved October 27 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2023-october-14
October 14 annular eclipse. NASA. Retrieved October 27 from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/
Fred Espenak. Solar eclipses 2021-2030. NASA. Retrieved October 27 from https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEdecade/SEdecade2021.html
Konstantin Bikos. What is a hybrid solar eclipse? Timeanddate. Retrieved October 27 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/hybrid-solar-eclipse.html
