ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – To celebrate the annular solar eclipse happening on Saturday, the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) will be giving away limited-edition sticker decals that depict the fortuitous overlap of the annular solar eclipse and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The sticker decals will be available at the New Mexico True booth at Balloon Fiesta Park beginning the morning of Friday, Oct. 13. NMTD staff and volunteers will be distributing the sticker decals only during the morning sessions of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta while supplies last.
In Albuquerque, the partial eclipse will begin at 9:13 a.m. Annularity will begin at 10:34 a.m., and the eclipse will reach its maximum at 10:35 a.m.
According to NASA, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and the moon is at its furthest point from Earth. This creates a “ring of fire” effect where the moon doesn’t fully cover the sun.
