RARE SOLAR ECLIPSE COMING TO OREGON

One of the most extraordinary things you can witness in a lifetime is a solar eclipse – when the moon slide in between the sun and the Earth, and blocks out the light cast onto us.

This is most spectacular when the moon blocks out the sun completely; we call this a total solar eclipse. A slightly less dramatic version occurs when the moon is too close to the sun, therefore appearing smaller, and blocks out the sun almost completely, but leaving a bright ring around it.

This latter annual eclipse, or “Ring of Fire” eclipse, occurs in the same place very rarely. But on Saturday, Oct. 14, parts of Oregon will have a chance to witness the first annular eclipse seen in the Pacific Northwest since 2012.

That morning, the eclipse will be visible for nine minutes, from 9:15 until 9:24 a.m. The maximum annularity will last four about four and a half minutes. While Portland’s view won’t be quite as awesome (it’s out on the fringe of the eclipse zone), the view will be incredible just south of Eugene or in Klamath Falls, and hotels are already becoming fully booked in both locations. 

While solar eclipses can be beautiful, they can also be very dangerous. The light of the sun may be partially obscured, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still very harmful to look at directly. One Oregon man has even warned people on a Reddit thread that he looked at a solar eclipse directly and became partially blind. 

There are, thankfully, several different ways to view a solar eclipse safely. In Portland, OMSI is currently selling special eclipse-safe sunglasses that will allow you to see the Ring of Fire in all its glory. You also can also use No. 14 or higher welding glasses – but anything below No.14 is still dangerous. Another easy way to view the eclipse is by taking two white pieces of cardboard and poking a hole in one of them. You can put the second piece of cardboard on the ground or on a table and hold the pinhole piece above it. The light from the eclipse will shine through the hole and create an inverted image on the second piece! 

Whichever method you use, make sure you are protected while viewing what could be the most exciting solar event in Oregon for several years to come.