Last-minute tips for this Saturday's solar eclipse
While many are waiting for the big total solar eclipse in April 2024, a different kind of eclipse will hit the skies this coming weekend. AccuWeather's Tony Laubach has some tips on how to view the Oct. 14 "Ring of Fire" eclipse.
Transcript
00:00 Saturday, a narrow zone from southern Oregon all the way to
00:03 southern Texas. If you're in this narrow strip, then you
00:06 will be able to see the ring of fire. Saturday's annular eclipse
00:10 will differ from the total eclipse in 2017 as well as the
00:13 one coming in April of 2024. The moon is a little bit farther
00:17 away from the earth, so it's not quite big enough in the sky to
00:20 completely block out the sun. During the middle of the eclipse,
00:24 when the moon is in front of the sun, it's going to be outlined
00:26 by a ring of light. During a total solar eclipse, the moon
00:30 completely covers the sun, meaning you can view totality
00:33 without help. During Saturday's eclipse, however, that will not
00:36 be the case because the sun is always visible. So during the
00:40 entire thing, you will need to look with eclipse glasses or
00:44 solar filters. Making sure you have proper glasses is
00:47 essential. So if you do have a pair of eclipse glasses, the
00:50 first thing you want to do is check on the side. It should be
00:52 clearly printed the following statement ISO 12312 dash two. If
01:00 it does not have that written on it, those glasses might not be
01:03 safe and you should not use them. If they have that proper
01:06 label, though, you should be good to go. If you want to take
01:08 pictures or video of the eclipse, you'll also need to
01:11 protect your camera equipment. You need to make sure that
01:13 you're using a solar filter designed for that camera where
01:17 it covers enough of the lens. If you still have glasses or
01:19 filters from the 2017 eclipse, a lot of says as long as they
01:23 were stored in a dry spot and are not damaged, they should be
01:26 good to go for Saturday. But now comes the big question. What
01:29 about the weather forecast? Load up your Accuweather app, plug
01:32 in the place where you plan on going and check the cloud
01:35 forecast because you could be in the right place at the right
01:37 time. But if the weather's bad, you're going to miss the event.
01:40 Check the weather forecast for your area and it might only
01:43 mean traveling a short distance to be able to see it for
01:45 Accuweather. I'm meteorologist Tony Lawback.