Event coordinator, retired astrophysicist and PEEC volunteer Galen Gisler explaining details of this morning’s viewing of the 2023 Anndular Solar Eclipse at LAHS. Courtesy/J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee

Local 2023 Anndular Solar Eclipse News:

2023 Anndular Solar Eclipse event coordinator, retired astrophysicist and PEEC volunteer Galen Gisler explained details of this morning’s viewing hosted in the courtyard at Los Alamos High School by Los Alamos Public Schools in colaboration with the County and other organizations and businesses.

Eclipses occur when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow upon the Earth, Gisler explained. Since the Moon’s orbit is inclined relative to the Earth’s orbit, this alignment doesn’t occur at every new moon, but approximately every six months. When the Moon is closer to the Earth, its angular size is larger than the Sun’s, so it completely covers the Sun: this is a total solar eclipse.

When the moon is farther from the Earth, it appears smaller and does not completely cover the Sun, leaving a ring (or annulus) of the Sun still uncovered: this is an annular solar eclipse. In total and annular solar eclipses, the path of the Moon’s shadow across the Earth is quite narrow, so that only a small fraction of the Earth will experience the full eclipse, while the rest will see only a partial eclipse. In fact any particular locality may wait several centuries between successive total or annular eclipses. This morning the path of annularity crossed New Mexico from the north west to the southeast. Los Alamos was near the edge, but within the path of annularity.

View of shadows of this morning’s eclipse through a colander. Courtesy/J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee