Getty Ring of fire solar eclipse
An annular solar eclipse — called a “ring of fire” — will be visible tonight and early into the morning on June 20 and 21. The beautiful sight, unfortunately, can’t be seen from the United States. The good news is that a number of live streams will be available to help you watch the solar eclipse and feel as if you were there. Read on to learn more about the solar eclipse and see videos where you can watch live right here.
Live Streams & Times for the Solar Eclipse
If you’re wanting to watch the solar eclipse in the United States, the timing will require that you start tuning into a live stream online late tonight on June 20 into the early hours of June 21. The solar eclipse begins at 12:47 a.m. Eastern (11:47 p.m. Central), CNN reported. The eclipse peaks at about 2:40 a.m. Eastern (1:40 a.m. Central) and ends around 4:32 a.m. Eastern (3:32 a.m. Central.) Remember — these times are for online viewing since you can’t see the eclipse in the United States.
The Virtual Telescope Project begins its coverage at 10:30 p.m. Pacific on Saturday night June 20 (which is 12:30 a.m. Central on June 21 and 1:30 a.m. Eastern on June 21.) You can watch their live stream below.
A live stream from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (in Japanese) begins at 11:45 p.m. Pacific tonight (1:45 a.m. Central/2:45 a.m. Eastern.)
A live stream from Abu Dhabi, UAE is below. The channel writes: “Live Streaming of the International Astronomical Center (IAC) for the Solar Eclipse of 21 June 2020 from Abu Dhabi, UAE. Seen as partial eclipse of the magnitude of 93%.”
Time and Date has a live stream that you can watch below.
Slooh’s Star Party Live Show begins at 1 a.m. Eastern below (12 a.m. Central/5 a.m. UTC/10 p.m. Pacific.) The feeds below will be from the Middle East, including Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences & Technology, a location in India, and the International Astronomical Center.
Another live stream is available below from Sirsa, India, provided by Ajay Talwar. Talwar writes: “We will be stationed at Sirsa, near the centerline and inside the antumbral path of the eclipse. The eclipse would be broadcast using dependable tracking mount, following the Sun accurately. At 11:56:11 IST the Moon would cross from the middle of the Sun, in the central eclipse, with a thin and slender solar ring surrounding. Some time before and after at the second and third contact we hope to see a pearl necklace around the Moon.”
The moon is passing over the sun, creating a partial eclipse that looks like a “ring of fire” around the moon for just a little over a minute. An annular eclipse requires that the moon be in its first lunar phase and appearing smaller in the sky than typical, so it can’t fully block the sun, CBS News reported.
The next total solar eclipse is December 14, 2020, but that one won’t be visible in the U.S. either. Another total solar eclipse will happen on December 4, 2021, but that also won’t be visible in the U.S. The next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. is happening on April 8, 2024. This one will have a line of totality crossing Texas, through the Midwest, and over Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo NY, over New England, and passing over Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. Meanwhile, we won’t see the next coast-to-coast solar eclipse in the U.S. until August 12, 2045.
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