UAE stargazers miss out on 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

Enthusiastic astronomers and observers from the UAE are considering a trip to the United States to witness the rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse since it won’t be observable in the Arab region.

This annular solar eclipse, often described as the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, is scheduled for October 14. During this celestial event, the moon will pass in front of the sun, partially obscuring it and forming a captivating ring of unobstructed 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.”

Utilizing proper protective eyewear enables a precise observation of this astronomical phenomenon. The length of time it remains visible varies, ranging from slightly over one minute to nearly five minutes, contingent upon your position along its trajectory.

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 takes place during the new moon phase when the moon aligns directly between the Earth and the sun, obstructing sunlight and creating a shadow on our planet. The most common variety is the partial eclipse, occurring twice annually. In June 2020, certain regions such as the Gulf area, which includes the UAE, portions of central and eastern Asia, and select areas in central and eastern Africa, witnessed the less frequent ‘annular’ eclipse.