BOISE, Idaho — WATCH a live stream of the eclipse here.
An annular solar eclipse is set to cross the western United States, along with parts of Central and South America, the morning of Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. This will be the first annular eclipse to occur in the US since May 2012, and the next one won’t happen until 2039.
An annular eclipse, not to be confused with “annual,” happens when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth, making it appear a bit smaller than the sun. That means the moon won’t completely block the sun as happens during a total solar eclipse, but instead, a thin outer ring of the sun - or a “ring of fire”- will be visible at full annularity as the moon crosses in front of the sun.
While Saturday’s eclipse will be visible in southwest Idaho, the Gem State is not in the path of annularity; eclipse-chasers will need to travel south or west for that, as the path in the US will run from the Oregon coastline southeast through northern Nevada, central Utah, and on into central New Mexico and southern Texas.
Still, the Boise area is expected to see roughly 84% of annularity for this annular eclipse, which will give spectators a pretty unique view of this event when viewed through proper eclipse glasses or viewing devices, as even a partial eclipse will cause a darkening of the sky and will give an eerie cast to the sunlight.
The main event is relatively short-lived, with the max eclipse lasting only about four minutes, though the entire eclipse will likely span a couple of hours as there is roughly one hour of partial eclipse on either side of annularity or maximum.
Here in SW Idaho, it is recommended that anyone who wants to catch the full event is outside with their viewing devices on by about 9:15 a.m. MT, with our 84% maximum occurring around 10:20 a.m. MT. For Idahoans interested in trying to view the eclipse at 100% annularity, the closest destinations would be Elko or Winnemucca, Nevada, both roughly 250 miles from Boise.
It is important to keep in mind that while the annular eclipse will, of course, happen rain or shine, if it is rainy – or overcast – the eclipse will unfortunately be hidden by the clouds and not visible from the ground. The current forecast for eastern Oregon and SW Idaho for the morning of the 14th is for a mostly cloudy sky, especially on the Oregon side. Keep a close eye on the forecast for Saturday morning so you can plan your viewing party accordingly!
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