A rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse will be visible to those in the United States this Saturday, October 14, with those in Kansas being able to see the annular eclipse beginning at around 10:20 a.m. and peak at roughly 11:45 a.m. Maximum obscuration of the sun will be 60% in far northeast Kansas and increases as you travel south and west. Wichita residents can expect to see about 70% of the sun blocked by the moon.
The “ring of fire” nickname comes from the appearance of annular solar eclipses, which are like total solar eclipses, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so they can’t completely block the sun. Instead, the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow, creating the so-called ring of fire.
(Courtesy photo)
