Annular solar eclipse 2023: How to watch Oct. 14 'ring of fire' in person and online

Here's how to watch the annular solar eclipse in person and online. The famous 'ring of fire' is not to be missed!

An annular solar eclipse will be visible across North America on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.

The October annular eclipse's infamous "ring of fire" will cross eight U.S. states from Oregon to Texas, according to NASA. If you're not fortunate enough to see it in person, the eclipse will be livestreamed for free so you can enjoy the wonder of the eclipse from the comfort of your own home.

During an annular solar eclipse, the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun. As such, it doesn't block the entire solar disk like it would during a total solar eclipse. Instead, the moon's shadow covers most of the disk, leaving the outer rim, resulting in a beautiful "ring of fire."

Related: Which U.S. states will October's 'ring of fire' solar eclipse be visible from?

During the annular solar eclipse, the entire Americas will experience a partial solar eclipse. But for those of you who want to see the 'ring of fire,' you'll need to travel to the 125-mile (200-kilometer) wide path heading from the northwest U.S. through Central America to Brazil.

For those wanting to venture to one of the eight states that will experience the 'ring of fire,' our guide on how to plan your annular solar eclipse trip may help. We also have guides on the 10 best events across the U.S. to celebrate the Oct. 14 eclipse as well as a roundup of five iconic routes through the U.S. for those wanting to take an eclipse roadtrip of a lifetime.

Below is a list of notable locations and cities that will experience the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse, along with the time and duration of the event according to French eclipse expert Xavier Jubier who has created an interactive map detailing the entire path of the annular solar eclipse.

For those of you wanting to watch the annular solar eclipse online, there are a number of livestreams available. You can watch the annular solar eclipse online here on Space.com or on one of the many YouTube channels broadcasting the event. We have rounded up some of the best livestreams available here.

NASA will broadcast telescope views of the annular solar eclipse from across the U.S. on their NASA YouTube channel. They'll also be talking to solar scientists and are inviting the public to ask eclipse questions in the livestream chat using #askNASA.

Skywatching website timeanddate.com will also be covering the annular solar eclipse from start to finish with their livestream and live-blog with real-time progress reports and background information.

San Francisco's Exploratorium will have several livestreams available, from the Valley of the Gods, Utah to Ely, Nevada. They will also include a stream with live sonification (music only without any other commentary or interruptions) and also live eclipse coverage in Spanish.

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Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K.

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