Great American Eclipse releases 3D flyover video of the upcoming Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023

News provided by

Jul 17, 2023, 10:08 ET

Santa Fe, N.M., July 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Watch the Moon's shadow race from Oregon to Texas on October 14, 2023! This unique flyover video animation chases the 'Ring of Fire' eclipse from 125 miles high at speeds from 7,000 mph to 1,700 mph. Anyone with eclipse glasses inside the dark oval will see the blazing sight of the Sun appearing as a slender brilliant ring.

If you could design an eclipse path that maximizes the number of national parks in its path, this is it!

3D Flyover video of the "Ring of Fire" Annular Solar Eclipse October 14, 2023 by GreatAmericanEclipse.com

See the eclipse fly over Crater Lake National Park, Great Basin National Park, and others in the Four Corners region. The archeo-astronomical site at Chaco Canyon is ideally situated for a dramatic eclipse. In Texas, the path of this eclipse intersects the path of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse in the San Antonio region.

During an Annular Solar Eclipse, the apparent size of the Moon's disk is slightly smaller than the apparent size of the Sun's disk. Therefore, only the outer edge of the Sun remains visible, and the Sun appears as a brilliant ring. This is an otherworldly sight often called a "Ring of Fire". People must be inside the path of annularity to see it. Outside the path, people will see a partial solar eclipse.

"An annular solar eclipse is other-worldly!" says video creator Michael Zeiler.

"Annular eclipses often provide the opportunity to view the spectacle of Baily's Beads, as the last stray bits of sunlight bubble around the edges of the moon" says Polly White, Great American Eclipse co-founder.

The video was created by Michael Zeiler, of GreatAmericanEclipse.com. The 3000 frames were composed in ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Illustrator with additional specialized Python and Javascript code. Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak, and eclipse computations by Xavier Jubier.

The dark oval represents where the thin ring of the Sun, the 'Ring of Fire', will be seen at that moment. The time of eclipse is given in the local time zone. The duration is the maximum at the center of the Moon's shadow. Places near the centerline receive the longest duration.

6.63 million Americans already live inside the path, and millions more are expected to travel to see this annular solar eclipse in just under 3 months from now.

Less than 9 months from now, Americans will get to see a Total Solar Eclipse.

Both solar eclipses, the Annular and the Total, are being called the Great American Eclipses. The largest cities in the path of annular solar eclipse are San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Corpus Christi.

GreatAmericanEclipse.com is the authoritative source for comprehensive information on the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses over North America.

Free mobile app is available on Apple and Google Play.

The Eclipse Daily - Each day we provide a new solar eclipse-related infographic featuring facts, fun, and the official countdown on our social media through eclipse day 2024.

Notes to editors:
Media downloads with tourism projections are found on the Press page.
Full press kit is found here.
Michael Zeiler and Polly White are available for interviews.
505.469.9335 and 505.206.0921
YouTube Facebook Twitter Instagram