Attention star lovers: on the 14th of October An annular solar eclipse is predicted that can be seen from Brazil! Its visibility will be more prominent in the northern region of the country and João Pessoa, in Paraíba, will be the best point to observe it.
Annular solar eclipses are not rare events, but their annular feature is only visible in a small range of locations on Earth. To give you an idea, the last annular solar eclipse occurred in June 2021, but could not be observed in Brazil.
And, after this year’s eclipse, we will have to wait until February 6, 2028 to see another annular eclipse here at Brazil. Therefore, check below in which states the eclipse will be most visible.
Where will the annular eclipse of the Sun be visible from?
On October 14th, the phenomenon will be partially visible throughout Brazil. However, only in the states of Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco will it be possible to see it in its annular form.
Those who wish to enjoy this spectacle will be able to follow the eclipse through the National Observatory website, which will be broadcasting the event in real time with the title “The sky in your home: remote observation”.
João Pessoa stands out as one of the best Brazilian capitals to contemplate this phenomenon, thanks to its privileged geographical location and the peculiarity of the astronomical occurrence.
What is an annular solar eclipse?
The annular eclipse of the sun is a little different from the others, explains astronomer Josina Nascimento, from the National Observatory. In this phenomenon, most of the solar disk will be obscured, resulting in only a bright ring of fire circling the edge.
“In both total and annular eclipses, the Moon is aligned between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or most of the Sun’s light on a portion of the Earth’s surface. The darkest shadow, where all sunlight is blocked, is called the umbra. Around the umbra, the lightest shadow is defined, the penumbra, where sunlight is partially blocked and the eclipse is seen as partial.”
The image will be as if the Moon had “bitten” the Sun. The key difference lies in the Moon’s furthest position in relation to the Sun. Earth during the annular eclipse, which means that its apparent diameter does not precisely coincide with the apparent diameter of the Sun.
And if you think this is the only interesting thing about the Sun, you are completely wrong! Check below a list of 8 interesting facts about the only star in the solar system.
8 interesting facts about the Sun
Image: Reproduction
1. Solar eclipses
Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth align, resulting in four different types of eclipses, namely: total, annular, partial and hybrid eclipses.
The eclipse predicted for October 14th is an annular eclipse, characterized by the position of the Moon between the Earth and the Sun. In this case, the Moon it will be at its furthest point from Earth, known as perigee.
2. What is the Sun made of?
The Sun is a star composed mainly of hydrogen and helium and is located at the center of the solar system. According to estimates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Sun is approximately 4.5 billion years old.
3. Distance between the Sun and the Earth
The Sun is located approximately 150 million kilometers from Earth and its energy plays a crucial role in sustaining life as we know it in our planet. Without solar energy, conditions on Earth would be very different and life as we know it would not be possible.
4. The only star and largest object in the solar system
The Sun is the only star in the solar system. It functions as the gravitational center of the system, around which all planets, asteroids, comets and other celestial objects orbit.
Furthermore, the Sun is the largest object in the solar system, being so immense that it would take around 1.3 million Earths to fill its volume.
5. No Moon!
Unlike Earth, Saturn and Pluto, the Sun does not have any moon. Instead, it is the center around which orbit eight major planets (including Earth), at least five dwarf planets, a vast number of asteroids and comets, and countless smaller celestial bodies, totaling a staggering three trillion. of comets and frozen bodies.
6. Extremely hot
The Sun’s core maintains a temperature temperature of approximately 15 million degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to allow nuclear fusion to occur. This particularity generates internal pressure that supports the mass of the Sun, preventing it from collapsing.
7. Solar Crown
Above the surface of the Sun, we find the chromosphere and the solar corona. It is in the corona that we can observe solar prominences, eruptions and coronal mass ejections, which are giant explosions of energy and particles that have the ability to reach Earth.
8. What is the view from Earth?
The part of the Sun visible from Earth, commonly called the surface, is called the photosphere. However, unlike Earth, the Sun does not have a solid surface, as it is mainly composed of plasma.
