An annular solar eclipse, which is also known as “The Ring of Fire”, will be happening this Sunday, May 20, 2012.
This annular eclipse got the “Ring of Fire” nickname, because the moon completely blocks out the sun except for an annulus, or ring of fire, around the moon’s edge. Don’t look… directly into the sun, use special solar eye filters or No. 14 welder’s glass to wear over your eyes. Standard sunglasses will NOT provide sufficient protection.
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NASA says the blinding event will begin at sunrise local time in southern China, then pass over Hong Kong; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo before hitting its greatest extent in the Pacific Ocean near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. After entering California, the moon’s shadow will block almost all sunlight from Reno, Nev.; the Grand Canyon in Arizona; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Lubbock, Texas.
The zone where a partial eclipse is visible is much wider, stretching over most of eastern China, Korea, the Philippines, Siberia, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico.
Here are lists of calculations for the solar eclipse in foreign countries and the United States. Click here for U.S., and click here for foreign.
Here is the time schedule for the eclipse in the U.S.