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Sunday evening’s annular solar eclipse will be a sight for sore eyes for many astronomy enthusiasts.

But if you look at the eclipse without proper eye protection, you’ll have much more than sore eyes.

For the first time in 18 years, New Mexicans will get a front-row seat for an annular eclipse — sometimes called the “Ring of Fire” because, unlike a total solar eclipse, the moon’s disk will block most of the sun except for a thin outer ring.

The last annular eclipse in the Tularosa Basin occurred in 1994.

Alamogordo lies just outside the zone in which viewers will be able to see the “Ring of Fire.” Instead, Alamogordoans will see more of a crescent-shaped sun.

“We will get more of a ‘C,’” said Jim Tomaka of the Amateur Astronomers Group in Alamogordo. His group, along with the New Mexico Museum of Space History, are hosting a free event in which people can safely view the annular eclipse from the museum’s top parking lot.

The group will have a limited number of solar-safe glasses — courtesy of the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory — for the public to use, as well as telescopes fitted with solar filters for viewing the sun.

Using solar-safe eye protection is of utmost importance, Tomaka said.

“It’s not a good idea to look at the sun anyway,” he said. “Even though between 85 percent to 90 percent of the sun will be blocked, that 10 percent to 15 percent is still going to be bright and can cause damage to the eye. It’s not advisable to look at it without proper

protection.”

No. 14 welder’s glasses or masks, he said, will serve the purpose of looking at the eclipse.

“A pair of sunglasses won’t cut it,” he said.

“Even when the sun is almost completely blocked by the moon, the intensity of sunlight is strong enough to burn the retina of the eyes, causing permanent damage,” said Alexei Pevtsov, Ph.D., an astronomer and program scientist for solar atmosphere at the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak. He is also an astronomy professor at New Mexico State University.

An annular eclipse happens when the sun and moon are in alignment, but the moon is near its greatest orbital distance from Earth. The moon’s disk it not quite large enough to completely cover the photosphere of the sun, producing the so-called “Ring of Fire.”

Pevtsov said the annular eclipse can be observed within a 100-mile wide path that extends from the northwest to southeast through New Mexico.

“Alamogordo is just outside of this path, so we will only a see a partial solar eclipse — but very close to annular — at about 93 percent,” he said. “In Alamogordo, the start of eclipse will be low in the sky, about 16 degrees above the horizon.”

The center of the path, he said, runs in a northwest-to-southeast line through Albuquerque. In the Tularosa Basin, Mescalero and Ruidoso lie within the zone in which people may be able to see the “Ring of Fire” display.

In the Tularosa Basin, the eclipse will start at about 6:33 p.m. and last until sunset behind the San Andres Mountains. The eclipse, at its maximum, will occur at about 7:35 p.m., according to Pevtsov.

According to a press release from NSO, the eclipse presents a unique opportunity to study the sun and characterize the instrumentation utilized on the Dunn Solar telescope. Scientists at NSO plan to gather data for “stray light” measurements.

For people who live in the Sacramento Mountains, NSO will host an event at Sacramento Peak complete with several telescopes — provided by amateur astronomers and residents — for public viewing in both “white light” and “hydrogen alpha.” The Astronomy and Visitors Center will remain open throughout the eclipse, and short presentations on the work done at NSO and educational handouts will also be available.

The Amateur Astronomy Group will also have “white light,” “hydrogen alpha” and “calcium-k” telescopes available at NMMSH.

For people who can’t venture to the NMMSH parking lot for the eclipse, Pevtsov and NMMSH director Dave Dooling both said people can make their own “pinhole camera.”

“With a box, aluminum foil and a sheet of white paper, you can easily construct this simple pinhole camera,” Dooling said. “Keep in mind that the length of the box is important, the longer the box, the bigger the pinhole image will be.

To construct the pinhole camera, Dooling said people should cut a hole in the center of one end of the box, cover the hole with foil and poke a small hole in the foil with a pin. Cut a viewing hole in the side of the box, place a piece of white paper inside the box near the viewing portal and point the end of the box with the pinhole toward the sun.

Again, Dooling said people should not attempt to look through the pinhole at the sun because permanent eye damage or blindness will occur.

“There are no pain sensors (in the retina), so you won’t even know (eye damage) is happening,” said Dooling.

On average, a solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about twice a year.

“Annular eclipses comprise about one-third of all eclipses. For example, for 100 years starting in 2001, there will be total of 77 annular eclipses or — on average — one annular eclipse every 15-16 months,” Pevtsov said. “But this is on average. For a selected geographical area it may take much longer.”

Contact Michael Johnson at mjohnson@alamogordonews.com.

Article source: http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_20665216/sundays-solar-eclipse-visible-alamogordo