An annular solar eclipse took place on June 10th, 2021, when the Moon crossed between the Sun and Earth, thus partially blocking the view of the Sun for an observer on Earth. During the total eclipse, the Moon was nearly as small as the Sun, so it made the Sun appears as an annulus. The Moon also obscured the Earth by stretching beyond its orbit. This action of the Moon contributed to the elongation or “ecliptic” of the Earth-sun distance. The elongated Earth-sun distance is very tiny, about 7.5 times smaller than the diameter of the Moon.
Because the Moon blocked the view of the Sun during the annular solar eclipse, it was not easy to predict the exact location where totality would occur. Only a few hours before the start of totality, a live stream of information from the US Space Shuttle Program gave local weather conditions and predicted sky location for the day of the solar eclipse. A partial solar eclipse webcast was also accessible on NASA websites, and these provided data on the time and duration of the partial eclipse for users all over the world.
The NASA webcast gave details of what to expect during the total solar eclipse. The streaming video included live streaming video of the sun setting behind the Moon. It gave a clear illustration of the amount of darkness expected. A text explanation followed the video explaining how the eclipse would affect people in different geographical locations. It also gave maps of various locations, which were affected during the event. It had a section about the times in various areas of the United States that were affected by the annular solar eclipse.
As with any major event there would be a period of heightened media coverage. There would also be a number of press releases published regarding details of what the science participants would be studying during the run up to, and after the annular solar eclipse. NASA also released a number of maps detailing the location of the partial, annular solar eclipse. The maps highlighted the areas that would experience the full total solar eclipse. They also included a list of key areas for viewing the annular solar space news today.
Throughout the week there would be a number of live streams of the Earth’s surface viewed from space. A partial solar eclipse live stream was used to explain the science behind the event and give details on how to view the event through NASA’s website. The streams would also provide details on when and where the events would be visible. Throughout the week there would also be a number of discussion boards and blogs dealing with the subject. During the course of the event there would be a number of live talks posted on NASA’s Facebook page. Many followers on the Facebook page were eager to join in on the conversation.
In addition to the discussion boards and Facebook pages there would be a number of press releases and photos released. This is important as it allows interested followers to keep current with the situation. It also gives scientists a chance to point out certain characteristics of the eclipse. They would then be able to compare these characteristics to images captured by their satellites. There would also be plenty of written material available to read and consider.
The best time to view the annular solar eclipse will be at night. The totality will not be visible to the human eye. For this reason NASA has included black bars on their eclipse web page displaying the total amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere. The black bars will disappear during the early hours of the morning and by late morning, only the inner band of the corona, containing the UV rays, will be visible.
Annular solar eclipses occur very seldom, but when they do it can be interesting to view. Check back often for these rare celestial events. Once you become a regular viewer, you may want to join a group that helps monitor the space weather. You may also decide to become an aurora borealis monitoring station!
