Editor's note: The "ring of fire" solar eclipse of 2021 has ended. You can see video of it above and amazing photos from NASA and stargazers here.
The "ring of fire" solar eclipse is coming up Thursday (June 10) and here's when you can watch it.
The eclipse will be visible will be partially visible from the United States, northern Canada, Europe, northern Asia, Russia and Greenland, according to Time and Date. You can also watch it live online with several live webcasts, and if you live in any of the areas where it's visible and it's safe to travel, you can look at it outside — just make sure to wear proper eye protection.
Solar eclipses happen when the moon passes in front of the sun, from the viewpoint of our planet. Total solar eclipses — which are relatively rare — happen when the moon covers the entire sun; the moon's orbit is tilted with respect to the sun and doesn't always perfectly align. A "ring of fire" or annular eclipse happens when the moon is near its farthest point from Earth during an eclipse, so the moon appears smaller than the sun in the sky and doesn't block the whole solar disk.
Webcasts: How to watch the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse online on June 10
Related: When, where and how to see the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse of 2021
What time is the solar eclipse?
If you snap a photo of the 2021 annular solar eclipse let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.
The first locations where you can see the partial phase of eclipse — where the moon takes a "bite" out of the sun — will happen at 4:12 a.m. EDT (0812 GMT); local time will vary depending on where you are situated. You can see a partial eclipse if you are living north and east of a line running roughly from Edmonton, Alberta, to Des Moines, Iowa, down through Savannah, Georgia.
The annular eclipse will start being visible in those northerly regions fortunate enough to see it at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT), according to Time and Date. The maximum eclipse will happen at 6:41 a.m. EDT (1041 GMT) in the north polar region, where the annular phase will last roughly 3 minutes and 51 seconds.
Annularity will be best visible in Canada, as the path begins on the north shoreline of Lake Superior and is highly visible in the Canadian Shield of northwest Ontario and the Canadian Arctic tundra. Unfortunately, those living in the United States won't be able to see the "ring of fire" in person because the border to Canada has been closed to non-essential travel due to the pandemic.
The last glimpse of the annular eclipse will happen at 7:33 a.m. EDT (1133 GMT), while the partial eclipse's last visible location will see it at 9:11 a.m. EDT (1311 GMT).
If you can't catch this eclipse for whatever reason, the bigger eclipse of 2021 — a total solar eclipse in Antarctica and partial in South Africa and the South Atlantic — will take place on Dec. 4, according to NASA. But if you can see it, here is where the eclipse is visible from parts of the United States and worldwide cities
The solar eclipse timetables below provide viewing prospects for various cities in the U.S. and around the world. If the moment of maximum eclipse happens before sunrise, the eclipse magnitude — the percent of the sun that is covered by the moon — is denoted with an asterisk (*).
| Location | Time zone | Sunrise | Max. eclipse | Magnitude | Eclipse ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | CDT | 5:18 a.m. | 5:18 a.m.* | 35.6% | 5:39 a.m. |
| Minneapolis, MN | CDT | 5:29 a.m. | 5:29 a.m.* | 30.4% | 5:46 a.m. |
| New York, NY | EDT | 5:24 a.m. | 5:32 a.m. | 79.7% | 6:30 a.m. |
| Boston, MA | EDT | 5:07 a.m. | 5:33 a.m. | 80.0% | 6:32 a.m. |
| Montreal, PQ | EDT | 5:05 a.m. | 5:39 a.m. | 85.0% | 6:38 a.m. |
| Quebec City, PQ | EDT | 4:51 a.m. | 5:39 a.m. | 85.0% | 6:40 a.m. |
| Toronto, ON | EDT | 5:36 a.m. | 5:40 a.m. | 86.2% | 6:38 a.m. |
| Washington, DC | EDT | 5:45 a.m. | 5:45 a.m.* | 68.6% | 6:29 a.m. |
| Cleveland, OH | EDT | 5:55 a.m. | 5:55 a.m.* | 66.6% | 6:35 a.m. |
| Charleston, SC | EDT | 6:14 a.m. | 6:14 a.m.* | 11.7% | 6:21 a.m. |
| Indianapolis, IN | EDT | 6:19 a.m. | 6:19 a.m.* | 29.4% | 6:35 a.m. |
| Knoxville, TN | EDT | 6:21 a.m. | 6:21 a.m.* | 12.3% | 6:28 a.m. |
| Yarmouth, NS | ADT | 5:42 a.m. | 6:33 a.m. | 78.6% | 7:33 a.m. |
| Location | Eclipse starts | Maximum eclipse | Magnitude | Eclipse ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casablanca | 9:02 a.m. | 9:22 a.m. | 2.50% | 9:41 a.m. |
| Madrid | 9:01 a.m. | 9:42 a.m. | 11.20% | 10:26 a.m. |
| Paris | 9:12 a.m. | 10:11 a.m. | 23.30% | 11:14 a.m. |
| London | 9:08 a.m. | 10:12 a.m. | 30.90% | 11:21 a.m. |
| Reykjavik | 9:06 a.m. | 10:17 a.m. | 69.40% | 11:32 a.m. |
| Berlin | 9:36 a.m. | 10:38 a.m. | 23.90% | 11:42 a.m. |
| Oslo | 9:30 a.m. | 10:42 a.m. | 42.50% | 11:56 a.m. |
| Stockholm | 9:42 a.m. | 10:53 a.m. | 38.10% | 12:05 p.m. |
| Helsinki | 9:52 a.m. | 11:04 a.m. | 38.30% | 12:14 p.m. |
| Moscow | 10:22 a.m. | 11:26 a.m. | 26.50% | 12:27 p.m. |
Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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