Hopefully, you got to see today’s annular solar eclipse in person. Scientists call this “annular” because it happens when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun but appears too small to completely cover the Sun’s surface – resulting in what appears as a ring of fire in the sky. Everyone in the contiguous 48 states will have the opportunity to see at least a partial eclipse. In Larchmont Village and our surrounding neighborhoods, we could see a partial view of the eclipse, as we were out of the direct path of annularity.
From Los Angeles, we were able to see an approximately 70 percent partial eclipse starting around 9:15 a.m. Saturday morning.
We found the handy paper glasses we bought in 2017 from Landis Labyrinth Toys for $1.95 each (yes, we miss having a toy store on Larchmont Blvd.) for the last solar eclipse and headed outside this morning around 9:15 a.m. Once we found a spot to view the sun above the trees, we put on our glasses and could make out the sun partially covered by the moon. We noticed the light around us was much softer and slightly spooky, perfect for an October morning.
Since LA was not on the direct path, we observed the moon covering more of the sun’s left side leaving the crescent shape on the lower right side.
In case you missed it, you can view it on NASA’s website, where you will find a rebroadcast of its two-hour program, The Ring of Fire: 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse, including interviews with astronauts on the International Space Station.
But even if you didn’t have special glasses, there were other ways to view the eclipse. Buzz co-publisher Liz Fuller made an eclipse viewing box out of a regular cardboard box with two holes punched in one side – one tiny and the other a bit bigger. You put your eye up to the bigger hole and stand with your back to the sun. Light from the tiny hole hits the back of the box inside, showing the shape of the sun with the moon’s shadow over it.
