Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse, To Happen on May 9-10, 2013

Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse, To Happen on May 9-10, 2013

A spectacular solar eclipse, where the moon will block the sun creating a cosmic "ring of fire" in the daytime sky, will occur Thursday and Friday (May 9 and 10) Eastern time.



The ring-shaped solar eclipse, known as an annular eclipse, will be visible in certain parts of Australia and the Southern Pacific Ocean, where the local time will be Friday. v Parts of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia will get the best view, if weather permits, while The Hawaiian Islands, other parts of Australia, the southern Philippines, eastern Indonesia, other areas in Papua New Guinea and a small part of New Zealand will get at least a partial show.

However, the entire world will be able to see the spectacle thanks to the online Slooh Space Camera. Slooh will host a webcast featuring expert commentary and views of the eclipse on Thursday at SPACE.com.

"Solar eclipses can be inspirational to students and others, so it is interesting to have everyone view the eclipse, but only safe methods of viewing should be used," Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College and chair of the International Astronomical Union's working group on eclipses, said in a statement.

Special protective lenses, camera and telescope filters and other methods of protection should be used in order to safely watch the eclipse.