Next Saturday, October 14, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central and South America. It will be visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, Colombia and many Central and South American countries. Here in Colombia, such an event was last observed on April 8, 2005, more than 18 years ago.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is between the sun and the earth, and at the same time at its farthest point from the earth. Thus, it does not obscure the full view of the sun, but a kind of ring is formed around the moon.
The duration of the eclipse depends on the point of observation. “The partial phases will last one to two hours, both before and after totality. In most locations, totality will last between two and five minutes, but in some locations it will be longer or shorter.” (according to NASA). According to the Colombian Astronomical Network (RAC), “annular solar eclipses are visible for only 3 minutes and 30 seconds.”

Some of the Colombian cities that where you can see the annular solar eclipse:

Nuquí, Chocó.
Trujillo and Tuluá, Valle del Cauca.
San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá.
La Pedrera, Meta.
Tello and Desierto de la Tatacoa, Huila.

The annular solar eclipse in Colombia will begin at 11:48 am and end at 3:15 pm. The maximum of the eclipse will be reached at 1:16 in the afternoon.

IMPORTANT – All customers wishing to view the solar eclipse should be aware of the following precautions:

• Do not look directly at the sun, as this can cause irreparable eye damage and even complete loss of vision.
• Put on protective eclipse glasses, and if using binoculars or telescopes, put on a protective sheet. Sunglasses, 3-D glasses, etc do not provide adequate protection! (they do not protect from infrared and ultraviolet rays).
• Those who are outdoors during the eclipse should definitely use sunscreen.