Solar eclipse 2023: Will 'ring of fire' be visible in UAE?

Passionate astronomers and observers from the UAE may travel to the US to watch the elusive ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse as it will not be visible in the Arab region.

The annular solar eclipse, often referred to as the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, will occur on October 14. During this event, the moon will move in front of the sun, partially covering it and creating a stunning ring of unfiltered sunlight known as the annulus.

Event in New Mexico

Dubai Astronomy Group CEO Hasan Al Hariri said: “The path of the eclipse will be like a ring (type of eclipse). As the moon will be in front of the Sun it will appear like a ring of fire. That’s where it gets its name from. It was visible from the UAE a few years ago, and lots of people watched it. It was a spectacular thing to watch. This event will be October 13-14 and we may send some delegates to organise this event in New Mexico, in a city called Albuquerque. We will also be distributing the solar eclipse glasses there.”

He added: “The solar eclipse will be seen in the US, all the way in the West coast coming down to Caribbean, going all the way to South America. This will be one of the longest eclipses and will be visible clearly. So, a lot of people in the US will be able to see this, partially or fully.”

Using appropriate protective eyewear allows for a clear observation of the astronomical event. The duration of its visibility ranges from slightly over a minute to nearly five minutes, depending on your location along its path.

Dubai Astronomy Group to stream live event

“The eclipse will not be visible in the UAE. But we will try to broadcast it on our Youtube channel of Dubai Astronomy Group as well as other social media handles. So, people can watch the event either live or pre-recorded. This is a unique event that will draw the attention of a lot of sky watchers across the globe. Nasa will be participating. Most of the astronomical societies both in North and South America will be observing this event and doing activities to create awareness. This will be the preparation for another full eclipse that will again happen in the US next year in the month of April,” he added.

During which years did annular eclipse take place in UAE?

A solar eclipse occurs during the new moon phase when the moon aligns directly between the sun and Earth, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow on our planet. The most frequent type is a partial eclipse, happening twice a year. In June 2020, specific regions like the Gulf area, including the UAE, parts of central and eastern Asia, and a few areas in central and eastern Africa, experienced the rarer 'annular' eclipse.

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Like a partial eclipse, an annular eclipse doesn't fully conceal the moon. This occurs when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, causing the sun to seem slightly larger than the moon. As the moon moves across the sun, it creates the impression of a dark disk surrounded by a glowing ring. This distinctive sight is what earned the annular eclipse the nickname 'ring of fire'.

Before that the last annular eclipse visible in the UAE took place in December 2019 but the event before 2019 happened 172 years ago.

Time

The eclipse is set to occur with a 125-mile-wide path of annularity, starting in Oregon at 12.13pm EDT (Eastern time; 8.13pm UAE time) and exiting the United States around 1.03pm EDT, then continuing southeastward toward Central and South America. In Washington, the partial eclipse commences at noon on October 14, reaching its peak at 1.19pm EDT, during which approximately 30 per cent of the sun's disk will be obscured by the moon. The eclipse concludes at 2.39pm EDT.

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