Starship Asterisk*

Ring of Fire over Easter Island

Explanation: The second solar eclipse of 2024 began in the Pacific. On October 2nd the Moon's shadow swept from west to east, with an annular eclipse visible along a narrow antumbral shadow path tracking mostly over ocean, making its only major landfall near the southern tip of South America, and then ending in the southern Atlantic. The dramatic total annular eclipse phase is known to some as a ring of fire. Also tracking across islands in the southern Pacific, the Moon's antumbral shadow grazed Easter Island allowing denizens to follow all phases of the annular eclipse. Framed by palm tree leaves this clear island view is a stack of two images, one taken with and one taken without a solar filter near the moment of the maximum annular phase. The New Moon's silhouette appears just off center, though still engulfed by the bright disk of the active Sun.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

"Total annular eclipse"? - Aren't all annular eclipses total in that a full ring has to be seen?
"stack of two images, one taken with and one taken without a solar filter" - Why take one without a filter? Just to get the trees?

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:32 pm "Total annular eclipse"? - Aren't all annular eclipses total in that a full ring has to be seen?
"stack of two images, one taken with and one taken without a solar filter" - Why take one without a filter? Just to get the trees?

The terminology is a bit odd. In the big picture there are three kinds of solar eclipses: partial, annular, and total. For the latter two, if you're not on the center path they will only appear partial. And even if you are on the center path, both will be partial except for a narrow time window. So I guess "total annular eclipse" is just an awkward way of saying it's an annular eclipse seen from the centerline and not in its partial phases.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 7:39 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:32 pm "Total annular eclipse"? - Aren't all annular eclipses total in that a full ring has to be seen?
"stack of two images, one taken with and one taken without a solar filter" - Why take one without a filter? Just to get the trees?

The terminology is a bit odd. In the big picture there are three kinds of solar eclipses: partial, annular, and total. For the latter two, if you're not on the center path they will only appear partial. And even if you are on the center path, both will be partial except for a narrow time window. So I guess "total annular eclipse" is just an awkward way of saying it's an annular eclipse seen from the centerline and not in its partial phases.

So a "partial annular eclipse" is one that does not show a continuous, unbroken ring of Sun?

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 9:04 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 7:39 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 6:32 pm "Total annular eclipse"? - Aren't all annular eclipses total in that a full ring has to be seen?
"stack of two images, one taken with and one taken without a solar filter" - Why take one without a filter? Just to get the trees?

The terminology is a bit odd. In the big picture there are three kinds of solar eclipses: partial, annular, and total. For the latter two, if you're not on the center path they will only appear partial. And even if you are on the center path, both will be partial except for a narrow time window. So I guess "total annular eclipse" is just an awkward way of saying it's an annular eclipse seen from the centerline and not in its partial phases.

So a "partial annular eclipse" is one that does not show a continuous, unbroken ring of Sun?

Also awkward... but that's how I'd probably interpret it. Could mean somebody was not on the path, or maybe on the path but seeing it before or after the annular phase.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 9:06 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 9:04 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2024 7:39 pm

The terminology is a bit odd. In the big picture there are three kinds of solar eclipses: partial, annular, and total. For the latter two, if you're not on the center path they will only appear partial. And even if you are on the center path, both will be partial except for a narrow time window. So I guess "total annular eclipse" is just an awkward way of saying it's an annular eclipse seen from the centerline and not in its partial phases.

So a "partial annular eclipse" is one that does not show a continuous, unbroken ring of Sun?

Also awkward... but that's how I'd probably interpret it. Could mean somebody was not on the path, or maybe on the path but seeing it before or after the annular phase.