By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews
The central Oregon coast will provide the first places in the continental U.S. to view an unusual type of solar eclipse that will occur the morning of Oct. 14.
The key, of course, is if coastal clouds part long enough to give an expected audience of millions across parts of eight states, Mexico and South and Central America views of up to four minutes of what astronomers call an annular solar eclipse.
Annular eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. That distance means that the sun – unlike during a total eclipse – is not completely blocked by the moon.
Instead, an eerie ring of fire will be visible to viewers stretched along the path of annularity. And, as with total eclipses, special eclipse glasses must be worn to protect viewers’ eyes from serious injury.
“It’s undeniably a very cool event, but not quite as gobsmacking as a total solar eclipse,” Michael Kirk, a research scientist NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in an interview with YachatsNews. “It will get darker and cooler outside and you’ll see a ring of fire peeking out from behind the moon.”
Kirk, who grew up in McMinnville and has just moved back to Oregon after a 10-year stint in Washington D.C., said annular eclipses are especially valued by scientists for the chance to basically switch off the sun’s brilliance for a few minutes. That time, he said, gives researchers an unblemished view of Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“It’s the ideal way to study all of that ionized plasma caused by the sun’s high-energy wave lengths,” Kirk said. “An awful lot of people are going to be paying really close attention to this.”
The first landfall of the annular solar eclipse will be at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Reedsport. Soon after, an area of the coast stretching from south of Tillamook to below Coos Bay will fall into its path.
In addition to Yachats and Waldport, cities in the path include Corvallis, Eugene, Roseburg, Coos Bay, Medford and Klamath Falls.
A bump in interest
Coastal hotel operators, along with Oregon State Parks officials, say interest in the event isn’t approaching the furor created by the 2017 total eclipse that drew thousands of spectators to Oregon.
But it nonetheless is definitely creating a buzz of its own.
At Drew Roslund’s Overleaf Lodge in Yachats, for instance, occupancy for the Friday evening before the eclipse the next morning currently is double the number of reservations for the prior Friday night.
“From what we can see right now, people are definitely coming for the eclipse,” he said. “Things aren’t nearly as frenetic as they were for the 2017 total eclipse, but there is still a lot of obvious interest out there for this.”
At the Best Western Agate Beach in Newport, general manager Josh Conrad is seeing the same thing. A recent check of reservations showed that most of his 148 rooms are booked for Oct. 13.
“It’s very clear,” he said, “that people are absolutely coming for the eclipse.”
State parks officials have already had several meetings dedicated to planning for the event, said parks spokesman Chris Havel.
“For our purposes, we are treating this like a busy summer holiday weekend,” he said. “We’ve seen a slight bump in reservations for that weekend, but nothing to note anything really extreme.”
Reservations for state campgrounds are ranging from 50 to 55 percent booked, Havel said, adding he recommends making reservations at those sites for people wanting to camp.
“For us on the coast, everything is so dependent on the weather,” he said. “It will be interesting to see what happens.”
Viewing opportunities
More than 1 million Oregonians live inside the path of the annular solar eclipse, according to various eclipse-oriented websites. Most of that information urges people to travel as far southwest as possible for best viewing opportunities.
One website, www.eclipsophile.com, says this about viewing chances in Oregon: “Eclipse-viewing expeditions in 2023 would best be served by locating east of the Cascades on the south side of the center line. The terrain in this area is open and sparsely treed, giving an excellent view toward the sun at the moment of central eclipse.”
There is no shortage of opportunities for those coastal residents and visitors who are hoping for clear skies the morning of Oct. 14.
At Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay, for instance, parks rangers and astronomy educators from around the state will gather at 8 a.m. They will provide telescopes fitted with specialized filters so observers can look safely and directly at the sun.
Eclipse watchers farther south will gather at Bullards Beach in Bandon at 7:30 a.m., Oct. 14 for what the city is calling a “festival of light” watch party. The event will take place on the beach immediately north of the Coquille River Lighthouse.
Eclipse celebrations will span two days in Yachats, Oct. 13-14, for the “Dark Days Eclipse Festival”. More than 20 musical acts will perform during the Yachats Commons event, which requires tickets for entry.
In the event skies are cloudy on the coast that morning, numerous research organizations, including NASA, will be providing real-time viewing from cameras and telescopes positioned all along the path of annularity, NASA’s Kirk said.
“One way or another, everyone who wants to will be able to see this very special event,” said Kirk, who personally will be attending a hot-air balloon event in Albuquerque, N.M. that morning. “It should be quite a morning.”
- Dana Tims is an Oregon freelance writer who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. He can be reached at DanaTims24@gmail.com
Tips for viewing the eclipse
- Make sure to secure special eclipse glasses for safe viewing.
- In many parts of the state, the annular eclipse will begin just after 8 a.m., Saturday Oct. 14. Maximum duration of the annularity is 4 minutes, 32 seconds.
- Plan ahead. If you choose to stay in a hotel, be aware that many will sell out.
- Arrive at your destination early and try to spend eclipse night at or near your viewing location.
- Check local weather reports as eclipse day approaches. You’ll get great viewing advice.
- Unless you are an experienced photographer, you are advised not to attempt photography during the eclipse. If you want to try to capture eclipse images, visit Fred Espenak’s MrEclipse.com for advice.
How and where are the viewing points at the best in Florence?
What an informative, thorough article about the coming annular eclipse. YachatsNews is fortunate to have such a professional writer as Dana Tims contributing to it.