UTAH’S LAST ‘RING OF FIRE’ SOLAR ECLIPSE ‘TIL 2046, IN OGDEN
The 2023 Annular Eclipse will appear across Western Hemisphere skies including Utah on Saturday, October 14 starting at 9:09 a.m. MDT. What will it look like in Ogden?
The author gazing into the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017 in Salt Lake City at the “Living Room” hike/trail. Selfie by Deann Armes
The first annular solar eclipse visible in the U.S. since 2012 will appear in Utah skies on Saturday, October 14 starting at 9:09 a.m. MDT. This 90% eclipse of the sun dubbed “Ring of Fire” can be seen in its full glory in South-Central Utah, according to a map from the NASA website. Northern Utah residents not up for a drive south, or potential crowds at surrounding National State Parks, can still get a partial ‘Ethereal Shadow’ view of the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse in Ogden.
The last total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 was a big deal. The Farmer’s Almanac claimed this “Great American Eclipse” was the first total solar eclipse exclusive to the U.S. since before the nation’s founding in 1776! All of the continental U.S. had a chance to see at least a partial eclipse, including me, in Utah. I called it “a glowing cheddar cheese crescent moon” in a Instagram post.
I’d hiked solo for a glimpse, surrounded by many others cosmos-enthusiasts, to the ‘Living Room’ in Salt Lake City close to where I worked at the time.
The 2023 Annual Solar Eclipse is different because it’s not a total eclipse. For this celestial show, the Moon almost covers Sun, but not quite, leaving that spectacular ‘ring of fire.’
WHERE & WHEN TO SEE THE 2023 ANNUAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN OGDEN
You’ll be able to get a partial view of the Saturday’s solar eclipse in Ogden worth seeing. Head out to the autumnal Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Ogden Nature Center, or one of many beautiful Ogden Valley trails at Pineview Reservoir, North Fork Park, Powder Mountain Resort, Snowbasin Resort, or Causey Reservoir. Or, experience it up close at Compass Rose Lodge’s Huntsville Astronomic and Lunar Observatory (HALO).
Compass Rose Lodge explains: “During this event, a portion of the Sun's disk will be obscured by the passing Moon, casting a unique and ethereal shadow over the landscape.” A “striking crescent shape,” they say, will be seen for over 2 and a half hours beginning at 9:09 a.m. MDT and ending at approximately 11:55 a.m. MDT.
The Observatory at Compass Rose Lodge in Huntsville, Utah will have their telescope setup with a special solar filter to view the sun through the telescope. For safety, the use of certified solar eclipse glasses or a solar viewer is advised. The observatory will also have solar glasses available for purchase. For details, call 385-279-4460.
The next total solar eclipse is on April 8, 2024 but we’ll have to travel east of Texas to see it. After that, says NASA, it won’t happen again in the U.S. for another 20 years. The next annular solar eclipse will be in 2046.
