![]() ![]() The moon’s phases as viewed from Earth show us where the moon is in its orbit relative to the sun. The new moon occurs at the same time as the solar eclipse on October 14th. ![]() Mark your calendars and hope for clear skies, because that should be a sight to behold! This partial eclipse will still dim the sun drastically, but Ohioans will have to wait until April 8th, 2024 to see a total eclipse. For those in Columbus, the eclipse will begin at 11:46 am, and it will reach its peak at 1:07 pm. From our perspective, the moon will cover between 30-40% of the sun at its peak. Sadly, the ring of fire will not be visible in Ohio here we will only see a partial solar eclipse. This month there is an annular solar eclipse on October 14th. The moon still casts its shadow, but the edges of the sun’s surface can be seen behind it creating a ‘ring of fire.’ An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears smaller than during a total eclipse, so it does not completely block the sun. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely blocks the sun’s light, allowing people in the path of totality to see the sun’s corona which is typically invisible to the unaided eye. This variable moon size is what differentiates a total solar eclipse from an annular solar eclipse. Solar eclipses are especially interesting on Earth because our moon happens to have the right combination of size and distance to appear nearly the same size as the Sun however, the moon’s apparent size does have some variation since its orbit around Earth is not completely circular. This path is called the path of totality, and it is the best place to view the full spectacle that a solar eclipse creates. When this happens, the moon’s shadow falls on a fraction of the Earth’s surface, and creates a path of darkness as it moves across the sun. There is a solar eclipse occurring this month! A solar eclipse is when the moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth. Nights will continue to grow longer until the winter solstice in December, but longer nights means more time to go out and observe! Every day, we lose an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds of sunlight. However, the sunrise/sunset times vary greatly throughout the month. The sun rises around 7:45 am and sets around 6:50 pm, providing 11 hours of sunlight throughout the day. Happy autumn! With the September equinox behind us, we have passed into the astronomical start of the fall season! For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is now below the horizon more than above it. ![]() Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in October 2023 ![]()
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