On Oct. 2, A Annular solar eclipse Visible from the southern hemisphere. During this event, the Moon does not completely cover the Sun from our view on Earth, so it leaves a “ring of fire” around the Moon.
The moon’s shadow will appear to travel at different speeds depending on your location. In some places, it moves faster than 6 million mph (10 million km/h); In others, it can travel as slow as 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h), or the speed of a fighter jet.
During the loop solar eclipseThe moon’s shadow will be cast on it Earth From northwest to southeast, but since the planet is round, the shadow travels along a curved surface. Consequently, the distance between the place where the eclipse will be experienced the moon Constantly changing. So is the orbital speed of the moon. Put together, those factors can drastically vary the speed of the shadow.
Here’s a look at where the moon’s shadow moves fastest and slowest, so you can plan 2024 Annual Solar Eclipse. Remember that during an annular solar eclipse, direct viewing is not safe the sun Without Solar eclipse glasses Designed for solar viewing. Read our guide How to observe the sun safely.
Related: Where can I see the annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2024?
Where the annular eclipse moves the fastest
The event begins with an eclipse sunrise, peaks in the afternoon, and ends with an eclipse sunset. The curvature of the Earth makes a big difference in the apparent speed of the Moon’s shadow across its surface, with the extremes of the path seen at much faster speeds. After all, that’s where the Shadow strikes Earth on a most serious tangent.
When it first hits the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just south of Hawaii, the moon’s “umbral” shadow — within which the “ring of fire” is visible — moves at an astonishing 5.31 million mph (8.55 million km/h). According to Xavier Jupier Interactive eclipse map. It will leave the planet 229 minutes later, near South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, at a speed of 6.25 million mph (10 million km/h).
At these precise moments, the moon’s shadow will touch the Earth and leave, so the speed of the shadow is essentially infinite. This makes these alarming statistics largely meaningless. Therefore, it is most useful to consider the velocity of the shadow at points where the ring of fire appears dead on the horizon. At those points, the Moon’s shadow travels at 5,131 mph (8,258 km/h) and 8,893 mph (14,312 km/h), respectively.
Where the annular eclipse moves slowly
The ring of fire lasts longer when the moon’s shadow moves slowly. At this point, viewed from a point in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Easter Island/Rapa Nui, a ring of fire appears at 7 minutes, 25 seconds, where the Moon’s shadow moves at 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h). h).
Why so slow? At this point, it will be local noon, the Sun will be near zenith (about 68 degrees above north), and Distance between Earth and Moon will be minimal. Therefore, the moon’s shadow is closer to the surface vertically, so it moves slower. This is where the shadow takes the longest to travel to the Earth’s surface, so the Ring of Fire is visible from within it for a long time.
