On Sunday May 20, the sun becomes partially eclipsed by the Moon beginning as the sun sets. While the eclipse will be missed completely by Virginia observers, those farther west will see at least some of the event. For observers in parts of northern California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas, an annular eclipse just might be witnessed. This special type of partial solar eclipse happens when the whole moon crosses directly in front of the sun, which normally gives a total solar eclipse. This time, however, the moon is near apogee, i.e., in its farthest point from the Earth, and therefore, appears smaller in the sky than usual. Since it is smaller, it does't cover the full face of the sun, but leaves a ring of brilliant sunlight streaming around it. This is an "annular eclipse." As with other partial solar eclipses, do not observe it without the proper solar filters!
Such is our view from Earth...
Such is our view from Earth...
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