Ring of Fire solar eclipse is coming and Australia gets front row seats

THE Ring of Fire solar eclipse is coming and Australia is one of the best places in the world to get a glimpse of this event — as long as clouds don’t spoil the party.

It burns, burns, burns. The Ring of Fire eclipse will be partially seen from only a few places on Earth, and Australia is one of them. Source: NASA

TODAY a rare solar eclipse called the ‘Ring of Fire’ is happening and Aussies are going to get a great view — as long as clouds don’t spoil the party.

With a name like Ring of Fire, we bet your intrigue is piqued. Ours too. This afternoon the sun will transform from burning ball into a floating fiery ring as the moon drifts across its path.

However, staring at the sun is never a good idea, particularly today. The best way to view it is through a pin hole projector, welders glass or simply on your TV.

But, like the blood moon lunar eclipse of last month, clouds could ruin things once again for those in Sydney? Umbraphiles, or eclipse enthusiasts, will be anxiously looking at weather conditions and willing away cloud cover.

“It would be ideal if it stayed as clear as it is this morning,” Dr Ryder from the Australian Astronomical Observatory said.

“But even if it’s partly cloudy it might result in some slightly more spectacular views.”

A partial eclipse in clear conditions is not noticeable to the naked eye because the sun continues to provide close to normal daylight, he explained.

But a small amount of cloud obstructs the sunshine, making the eclipse more noticeable to people going about their daily routine.

This celestial spectacle is happening because the moon being almost at its farthest distance from the Earth it is too small to fully cover the sun so rather than a total solar eclipse we get this awesome partial “annular” eclipse, where only the outskirts of the sun will be visible.

News_Image_File: The recent April 15 lunar eclipse turned the moon blood red as a result of sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere and refracting to the red end of the spectrum. AP Photo

What makes this event even more eye-catching is how Australia is one of the few places on Earth to have seats to the show (although they might not be exactly royal box).

Sadly, Aussies will only get a partial view of the eclipse, so any hopes of seeing the full hot hoop will be dashed unless you can get to a very small area in Antarctica. Still, we will see the moon slowly eat away at the sun most other star gazers would love to see.

According to Space.com the best place in Australia to see the most of the eclipse will be in Hobart, starting at 3.51pm.

Eclipse viewing local start times and locations in Australia:

Perth: 1.17pm (peaks 2.42pm)

Tasmania: 3.51pm (peaks 5pm)

Adelaide: 3:25pm (peaks 4:37pm)

Melbourne: 3:58pm (peaks 5:07pm)

Canberra: 4:05pm (peaks 5:12pm)

Sydney: 4.15pm (peaks 5.15pm)

Brisbane: 4:31pm (peaks 5:17pm)

News_Image_File: Where to get a peak at the Ring of Fire eclipse.

If you can’t get outside you can catch the eclipse from the comfort of your screen with a live webcast.

This eclipse marks the second of 2014 (the first was the April 15 lunar eclipse that resulted in a spectacular blood red moon) and it’s a year where we will see the minimum number of eclipses possible over 12 months. There will only be four: two partial solars and two total lunars.

News_Rich_Media: Australians catch a celestial show during a lunar eclipse. Katie Sargent reports.

According to Universe Today what makes this special is that “of 3956 annular eclipses occurring from 2000 BCE to 3000AD, only 68 (1.7 per cent) are of the non-central variety”.

The website goes to advise: “observers in Sydney and eastern Australia also take note: the eclipse occurs low to the horizon to the west at sunset, and will offer photographers the opportunity to grab the eclipse with foreground objects.

Andrew McKinnon from the Optometrists Association Australia says the three easiest ways you can safely view the eclipse are through a pin hole projector, welders glass or simply on your TV.

Thinking about chucking your sunnies on or having a look through your telescope? Stop thinking about that right now. If you look through binoculars or a telescope for even a fraction of a second, your retinas will be completely fried and blind you.