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Annular solar eclipse guide: Timing, forecast and tips for viewing in St. Louis

Much of the talk of the next eclipse centers on the total eclipse in our area next April, but an annular solar eclipse will be visible in October.

ST. LOUIS — Most of the eclipse talk in our area over the last couple of years revolves around the total solar eclipse we're going to experience again in April 2024. 

That will be quite the event, and we'll have more on that in the coming months. But did you know there's actually another solar eclipse that is visible in October of this year? 

This is an annular solar eclipse, and it's a little bit different from the total solar eclipse.

The total solar eclipse will be next April, and that's the eclipse that allows us to see the sun's corona, and everything gets dark in the middle of the day. But the other two types of solar eclipse stem from the strength of the shadow of the moon. 

Credit: KSDK

Our annular solar eclipse won't quite have a large enough shadow of the moon to cover the entire sun. This is dubbed the "Ring of Fire" eclipse. But we won't quite see that much coverage locally.

Credit: KSDK

Our eclipse time will be roughly a three-hour period on Saturday, Oct. 14. It will start with a small sliver of the sun being covered up just after 10:30 a.m. This is a gradual process that will end up with a maximum eclipse as shown above, just before noon. 

The moon's shadow will slowly continue its progress across the sun before the eclipse ends just before 1:30 p.m. If you would like to see an animation of this process, check the video and explainer above.

Credit: KSDK

This won't be something you can see with the naked eye. You'll need eclipse glasses if you want to be able to see the eclipse this time around. I recently learned something interesting: eclipse glasses have a shelf life! Those glasses from years ago have expired, so you'll need to get some new ones.

The sun is not fully covered by the moon's shadow. While you may be able to tell that there's something different about the sun during this time, you'll still need eye protection to view. 

Credit: KSDK

Right now I think there is a good chance it's going to be mostly cloudy on Saturday. There may be a few breaks in the mid morning that allow some parts of the area to see it though. If you miss out on it, I'm told the St. Louis Science Center will have a viewing, and provide the first 4,000 attendees with free glasses. https://www.slsc.org/st-louis-metropolitan-area-to-experience-two-solar-eclipses-in-coming-months/. has more on this event if you'd like to attend.

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