Huntsville, AL (WHNT) – On Saturday, October 14, the Tennessee Valley will have a rare opportunity to view an annular solar eclipse.

The Moon, Earth, and the Sun will also align, in a perfect straight line. During an annual eclipse the moon appears further away from Earth during its orbit. The distance makes the moon appear smaller, so it does not fully cover the sun.

Since the moon does not fully cover the sun, it creates a ring around it. It is because of this ring that the eclipse got its nickname of ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse.

The amount of the eclipse will be dependent on the location and angle you are on the Earth. For us in the Tennessee Valley, we will see 55 percent totality at the eclipse maximum.

The eclipse will begin at 10:38 central time Saturday, max at 12:07 pm, and will end at 1:39 pm.

Remember to view the eclipse you must have solar glasses or filters. Looking directly at the sun will cause eye damage or could lead to blindness.

UAH Hosting Viewing Event:

UAH will be hosting a free viewing event for the public from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The event will take place on the Charger Union Lawn.

This is a family-friendly event for all ages and solar glasses will be provided so you can safely view the eclipse!

Along with providing solar glasses, they will have a solar tent for viewing, Galileoscopes with sun funnels, eclipse activities and more.

There is free open parking on campus like the parking deck. The restricted areas included handicap parking, service vehicle spots, and parking area restricted for fitness members only.

For more on the annular solar viewing event at UAH click here.

For more information on the 2023 annular solar eclipse you can visit NASA’s website.