ROCHESTER, NY (WROC) — On Saturday, October 14, 2023, an annular eclipse of the sun will move from Oregon to Texas along the path of annularity, giving a sky show for those that can avoid the clouds. The further you move away from the path, the smaller the eclipse of the sun.

Saturday will be an annular eclipse, not a total eclipse. (Learn more here). The path will be over a thousand miles away from Rochester, so the sun will be “covered” about 25% when viewed locally.

As the moon orbits Earth, it passes between the Earth and the sun as a “new moon”. Every year or two, the moon lines up perfectly, or in this case nearly perfectly between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow over the earth. The outer shadow that is cast over the Earth is called the penumbra, while the small, darker shadow is the umbra. The distance of the moon to the earth in its orbit determines what type of eclipse can be viewed.

NOW TO THE FORECAST:

Saturday rain begins to move in from the west as early as 7am and stick with us through most of the day, notably south of I-90 though. This will be a common theme as the parent low of this system tracks south thanks to strong high to our north into Pennsylvania. Rain will be generally steadier the further south you head with the general cut-off line set at I-90. Regardless of whether it’s raining or not, it will be cloudy precluding much of any chance to see Saturday’s partial annular eclipse. Highs too take a hit as a result of the rain, clouds and breezy north winds only making it into the low 50s for most.

It is important to note as well, that even if we manage to get a glimpse of the eclipse between the clouds somehow from Rochester, as mentioned earlier, only 25.8% of the sun will be obscured. This will not be a very discernible amount, nor should you try to view it with the naked eye if the opportunity arises. Whenever you view the sun you should make sure you have proper eye protection that has a solar filter applied to it, the same goes for using a camera as well.

Regardless, now is the time to prepare for the total eclipse on April 8, 2024. Here is a link to more information.