ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – People will be looking up to the skies for an annular solar eclipse. It’s a rare phenomenon that will take another 375 years to happen over Albuquerque again. For just a few minutes over the Land of Enchantment Saturday, experts say Albuquerque will be a prime place to see the annular eclipse.
The site should look like a “Ring of Fire” when the moon is covering most of the sun. “What else are you going to experience around that, is that things the light will start to get different, and shadows will become a little bit different. Animals will start to react to it. We’ll also start to see, it’s a little darker here than usual” said Kelly Korreck Ph.D., eclipse program manager from NASA. There’s also a chance for a sudden possible drop in air temperature.
Story continues below
- New Mexico: New Mexico lawmaker looks to boost substance use recovery services in the U.S.
- Crime: Alamogordo police charge man for October road rage shooting
- Albuquerque: Albuquerque officials describe challenges of cleaning homeless camps during injunction
- Local: Los Lunas Village Council postpones decision on Niagara Bottling expansion
If you’re looking, experts warn you not to take any chances and instead use eye protection. Staring at the sun even just for a moment can leave a permanent mark on your vision. “The solar eclipse burns the back of your eyes,” said Korreck.
“You can do indirect viewing method you can even just use your hands as pin holes then you would put your back to the sun and allow that project to the ground and a piece of paper and you can see it,” said Korreck.
For those who’ve got a pair of eclipse shades, it should be a remarkable site. “You should still be able to see the solar corona out there, which normally, you are not going to see since the sun is so bright. But you can look around it and you can see these sorts of streamers coming out from the sun,” said Hans Krimm program officer for the National Science Foundation.
Some of those cool shades will be available for free through different organizations Saturday including at Balloon Fiesta Park. If the science plays out as expected, the eclipse should happen around 10:34 Saturday morning and last for about 4 minutes. A solar eclipse happens in a different part of the world about every 18 months.
