BILLINGS, Mont. — Astronaut Frank Borman, who commanded Apollo 8’s historic Christmas 1968 flight that circled the moon 10 times and paved the way for the lunar landing the next year, has died. He was 95.

Borman died Tuesday in Billings, Montana, according to NASA.

Borman also led troubled Eastern Airlines in the 1970s and early ’80s after leaving the astronaut corps.

But he was best known for his NASA duties. He and his crew, James Lovell and William Anders, were the first Apollo mission to fly to the moon — and to see Earth as a distant sphere in space.

“Today we remember one of NASA’s best. Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement Thursday. “His lifelong love for aviation and exploration was only surpassed by his love for his wife Susan.”

Launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Dec. 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 trio spent three days traveling to the moon, and slipped into lunar orbit on Christmas Eve. After they circled 10 times on Dec. 24-25, they headed home on Dec. 27.

On Christmas Eve, the astronauts read from the Book of Genesis in a live telecast from the orbiter: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

Borman ended the broadcast with, “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you — all of you on the good Earth.”

Lovell and Borman had previously flown together during the two-week Gemini 7 mission, which launched on Dec. 4, 1965 — and, at only 120 feet apart, completed the first space orbital rendezvous with Gemini 6.

“Gemini was a tough go,” Borman told The Associated Press in 1998. “It was smaller than the front seat of a Volkswagen bug. It made Apollo seem like a super-duper, plush touring bus.”

In his book, “Countdown: An Autobiography,” Borman said Apollo 8 was originally supposed to orbit Earth. The success of Apollo 7’s mission in October 1968 to show system reliability on long duration flights made NASA decide it was time to take a shot at flying to the moon.

“My main concern in this whole flight was to get there ahead of the Russians and get home. That was a significant achievement in my eyes,” Borman explained at a Chicago appearance in 2017.

It was on the crew’s fourth orbit that Anders snapped the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing a blue and white Earth rising above the gray lunar landscape.

Borman wrote about how the Earth looked from afar: “We were the first humans to see the world in its majestic totality, an intensely emotional experience for each of us. We said nothing to each other, but I was sure our thoughts were identical — of our families on that spinning globe. And maybe we shared another thought I had, This must be what God sees.”

After NASA, Borman’s aviation career ventured into business in 1970 when he joined Eastern Airlines — at that time the nation’s fourth-largest airline. He eventually became Eastern’s president and CEO and in 1976 also became its chairman of the board.

Borman’s tenure at Eastern saw fuel prices increase sharply and the government deregulate the airline industry. The airline became increasingly unprofitable, debt-ridden and torn by labor tensions. He resigned in 1986 and moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

In his autobiography, Borman wrote that his fascination with flying began in his teens when he and his father would assemble model airplanes. At age 15, Borman took flying lessons, using money he had saved working as a bag boy and pumping gas after school. He took his first solo flight after eight hours of dual instruction. He continued flying into his 90s.

Borman was born in Gary, Indiana, but was raised in Tucson, Arizona. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in 1950. That same year, Borman married his high school sweetheart, Susan Bugbee. She died in 2021.

Borman worked as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, operational pilot and instructor at West Point after graduation. In 1956, Borman moved his family to Pasadena, California, where he earned a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from California Institute of Technology. In 1962, he was one of nine test pilots chosen by NASA for the astronaut program.

He received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Jimmy Carter.

In 1998, Borman started a cattle ranch in Bighorn, Montana, with his son, Fred. In addition to Fred, he survived by another son, Edwin, and their families.

Apollo astronaut Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II, known for helping the crew of Apollo 13 safely return to Earth after an explosion doomed their lunar mission, has died at the age of 87, NASA announced.

“Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement, calling Mattingly “one of our country’s heroes.”

Mattingly died Tuesday, the statement said. A cause of death wasn’t provided.

Born in Chicago on March 17, 1936, Mattingly would go on to graduate high school in Miami and earn a degree in aeronautical engineering from Auburn University in 1958, according to his NASA biography.

“Perhaps his most dramatic role at NASA was after exposure to rubella just before the launch of Apollo 13,” Nelson said. “He stayed behind and provided key real-time decisions to successfully bring home the wounded spacecraft and the crew of Apollo 13 – NASA astronauts James Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise.”

Actor Gary Sinise portrayed Mattingly in the movie “Apollo 13.”

Sinise called it an “honor” to play Mattingly in a post on X earlier this year to mark the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.

Mattingly had “unparalleled skill as a pilot,” Nelson said, noting he was a command module pilot for Apollo 16 and spacecraft commander for space shuttle missions STS-4 and STS 51-C. “The commitment to innovation and resilience toward opposition made TK an excellent figure to embody our mission and our nation’s admiration.”

Mattingly’s contributions “allowed for advancements in our learning beyond that of space,” Nelson said.

“He described his experience in orbit by saying, ‘I had this very palpable fear that if I saw too much, I couldn’t remember. It was just so impressive.’ He viewed the universe’s vastness as an unending forum of possibilities,” Nelson said. “As a leader in exploratory missions, TK will be remembered for braving the unknown for the sake of our country’s future.”

If you are looking for a spectacular show this weekend, look up to find the Orionid meteor shower shining bright through Saturday and Sunday night.

The shower is expected to peak at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, but visible meteors are expected to streak across the sky all weekend long at a rate of 10 to 20 per hour, according to EarthSky, and can be seen from all parts of the world during the night.

The best time to spot a meteor will be in the early hours of the morning, when the radiant, or the point where the meteors appear to originate from — in this case constellation Orion — is at its highest at around 2 a.m. in any time zone, but Dr. Ashley King, a planetary science researcher with the Natural History Museum in London, said that meteors will start appearing as soon as it gets dark.

This weekend, the moon will be in its first quarter phase and will set near midnight, according to the American Meteor Society. That means its luminosity will slightly interfere with meteor visibility, King said.

“You’ll want to wait for the moon to set,” he said. “Even if you’re in a city, you should be able to see a few meteors — it’s really just a case of looking at the sky and being patient.”

To have the best chance of spotting a meteor, King suggests going outside for at least 10 to 20 minutes before stargazing to let your eyes adjust to the low light. If possible, it is ideal to get away from light pollution and find a spot with a clear view of the dark sky, King said.

Dust grains from Comet Halley

The Orionid meteors come from one of the most famous comets, Halley, which is currently near the middle of its 76-year orbit around the sun. While the comet won’t make its appearance in Earth’s night sky until 2061, it leaves a trail of debris behind that our planet passes through every year, resulting in the Orionids.

In early May, Earth passes through a different section of Halley’s orbit trail, resulting in the meteor shower known as the Eta Aquariids.

The Orionids tend to be bright and fast-moving, 148,000 miles per hour (238,183 kilometers per hour), according to NASA. Because of this high speed, the Orionids often make long trails in the sky — visual evidence of the dust being released by the meteors as they are heated up, King said.

Occasionally, meteor showers can have an unexpected spike in their meteor rates. From 2006 to 2009, the Orionids saw anywhere between 50 to 75 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society. Normal rates are expected this year, but there is always the possibility of a surprise, the organization notes on its website.

“Not only are they spectacular — it’s exciting to see the bright streaks across the sky, and it’s not something you see every day — but this is dust grain that formed just over 4.6 billion years ago,” King said. “This is dust from the birth of the solar system.”

Meteor showers

After the Orionids peak, the hourly rate of visible meteors will begin to slow down until the shower ends on November 22. If you miss the peak this weekend, there are five other meteor showers left to catch this year:

● Southern Taurids: November 5-6

● Northern Taurids: November 11-12

● Leonids: November 17-18

● Geminids: December 13-14

● Ursids: December 21-22

Full moons

There are three full moons remaining in 2023, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:

● October 28: Hunter’s moon

● November 27: Beaver moon

● December 26: Cold moon

Lunar and solar eclipses

On October 14, people across North, Central and South America were able to encounter an annular solar eclipse. During the event, the moon passed between the sun and Earth creating a “ring of fire” in the sky. It was the last solar eclipse event until 2024.

A partial lunar eclipse, however, will take place on October 28 and will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, parts of North America and much of South Africa. This eclipse occurs when part of the moon passes into Earth’s shadow, allowing the shadow to be visible on the moon for a short period of time.

The-CNN-Wire
& © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

If you are looking for a spectacular show this weekend, look up to find the Orionid meteor shower shining bright through Saturday and Sunday night.

The shower is expected to peak at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, but visible meteors are expected to streak across the sky all weekend long at a rate of 10 to 20 per hour, according to EarthSky, and can be seen from all parts of the world during the night.

The best time to spot a meteor will be in the early hours of the morning, when the radiant, or the point where the meteors appear to originate from — in this case constellation Orion — is at its highest at around 2 a.m. in any time zone, but Dr. Ashley King, a planetary science researcher with the Natural History Museum in London, said that meteors will start appearing as soon as it gets dark.

This weekend, the moon will be in its first quarter phase and will set near midnight, according to the American Meteor Society. That means its luminosity will slightly interfere with meteor visibility, King said.

“You’ll want to wait for the moon to set,” he said. “Even if you’re in a city, you should be able to see a few meteors — it’s really just a case of looking at the sky and being patient.”

To have the best chance of spotting a meteor, King suggests going outside for at least 10 to 20 minutes before stargazing to let your eyes adjust to the low light. If possible, it is ideal to get away from light pollution and find a spot with a clear view of the dark sky, King said.

Dust grains from Comet Halley

The Orionid meteors come from one of the most famous comets, Halley, which is currently near the middle of its 76-year orbit around the sun. While the comet won’t make its appearance in Earth’s night sky until 2061, it leaves a trail of debris behind that our planet passes through every year, resulting in the Orionids.

In early May, Earth passes through a different section of Halley’s orbit trail, resulting in the meteor shower known as the Eta Aquariids.

The Orionids tend to be bright and fast-moving, 148,000 miles per hour (238,183 kilometers per hour), according to NASA. Because of this high speed, the Orionids often make long trails in the sky — visual evidence of the dust being released by the meteors as they are heated up, King said.

Occasionally, meteor showers can have an unexpected spike in their meteor rates. From 2006 to 2009, the Orionids saw anywhere between 50 to 75 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society. Normal rates are expected this year, but there is always the possibility of a surprise, the organization notes on its website.

“Not only are they spectacular — it’s exciting to see the bright streaks across the sky, and it’s not something you see every day — but this is dust grain that formed just over 4.6 billion years ago,” King said. “This is dust from the birth of the solar system.”

Meteor showers

After the Orionids peak, the hourly rate of visible meteors will begin to slow down until the shower ends on November 22. If you miss the peak this weekend, there are five other meteor showers left to catch this year:

● Southern Taurids: November 5-6

● Northern Taurids: November 11-12

● Leonids: November 17-18

● Geminids: December 13-14

● Ursids: December 21-22

Full moons

There are three full moons remaining in 2023, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:

● October 28: Hunter’s moon

● November 27: Beaver moon

● December 26: Cold moon

Lunar and solar eclipses

On October 14, people across North, Central and South America were able to encounter an annular solar eclipse. During the event, the moon passed between the sun and Earth creating a “ring of fire” in the sky. It was the last solar eclipse event until 2024.

A partial lunar eclipse, however, will take place on October 28 and will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, parts of North America and much of South Africa. This eclipse occurs when part of the moon passes into Earth’s shadow, allowing the shadow to be visible on the moon for a short period of time.

The-CNN-Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

An annular solar eclipse is different from a total eclipse as the moon appears smaller than the sun due to its orbit. The moon during a total eclipse appears larger and completely blocks the sun from view.

While viewers in the Bay Area saw a crescent sun during the eclipse, those viewing along the route of “totality” were able to witness a spectacular “ring of fire.” The sun’s edges glow red past the smaller moon.

Then two honorary guests made a brief surprise appearance: the sun, and the moon.

From San Jose to Danville to San Rafael, cheers erupted when skies brightened, then dimmed, as the moon crept across the surface of the sun, shrinking it to a mere crescent in the region’s first peek at a partial “annular” solar eclipse in 11 years.

“I see it!” shouted children at a festive Palo Alto event sponsored by Stanford’s Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, holding protective glasses to their faces.

Then the glorious view vanished.

For most of the annular eclipse, the weather was a tease, cooperating only intermittently along much of its Bay Area path. The clouds opened up to allow a quick peak, then closed again.

That’s because moisture rode into the region overnight, creating a pall of grayness.  Another weak weather system is expected to keep temperatures cool on Monday, followed by a bit of a warm up next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Clouds crashed the party in San Francisco. “Some of my finest work,” bragged @KarlTheFog on Twitter.

Some of my finest work https://t.co/bGvEgjEghB

— karl the fog (@KarlTheFog) October 14, 2023

“You hope for the best, but you accept whatever happens,” he said.

The sun was also obscured at Lake Tahoe.

Outside the route of “totality,” we had been promised only a partial view, at best.

And it’s not a total eclipse, as in 2017, where the moon fully blocked the sun along a path that passed through Oregon, with a partial eclipse visible in the Bay Area. It’s called an annular solar eclipse because it creates a brilliant ring, or annulus, of sunlight.  That happens because the moon is too far away to entirely cover the solar disk.

From beginning to end, the event lasted about 2.5 hours. The shadow of the moon during an eclipse moves as fast as the moon moves in its orbit – a speedy 2500 miles per hour.

The nation won’t have long to wait for the next one — on April 8, 2024, a total eclipse will sweep northeast from Texas to Maine.

To get to Stanford in time to manage a hydrogen telescope, Creighton Vonn, 14, of the San Jose Astronomy School Association awoke at 6 a.m. The event also featured white-light solar telescopes, sun spotters and solar binoculars — devices that allow safe viewing — and educational stations that explained solar physics, optics, and the solar system.

“It’s brilliant. The sun is a crescent, like the moon,” said Foothill College students Gabriela Grishashvili, who adjusted a white light telescope throughout the morning as our planet rotated on its orbit. “The Earth’s not flat!” joked fellow student Marlo Baca.

Under cool skies, the chocolate “solar s’mores” didn’t melt. But youngsters happily ate them anyway, then experimented with UV-sensitive beads and built their own pinhole cameras.

Eugene, one of the the first cities on the narrow swath of “totality,” was cloudy. So was Ukiah. Instead of sun-gazing, crowds celebrated Pumpkinfest with sweet potato pies and local Low Gap Bourbon.

The weather was more cooperative along much of the rest of the eclipse’s direct path to Texas.

In the high desert outside the tiny Modoc County town of Cedarville, on the edge of the Warner Mountains just eight miles from the Nevada border, former Marin Country resident Michael Sykes basked in the glory of the sight.

Relaxing in a chair in the middle of the sagebrush, “I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful experience,” Sykes said. “The clouds moved really fast and made it that much more interesting.”

Leaving the U.S., the eclipse crossed the Gulf of Mexico into Central America, where skies were clear.

Along the crowded beaches of Costa Rica’s south Caribbean, under the direct path of the eclipse, former Mercury News editor Karl Kahler said “at first you could see the moon putting a little dent in the upper right side of the sun. Soon it looked like a crescent moon. By 12:03 p.m., the coverage was almost total, with just the ‘ring of fire’ visible around the moon.”

For several hours, all seemed right with the world.

Gazing up in wonder “unites us,” said Mahlet Shiferaw, who is studying cosmology at Stanford.

“It’s something that has enamored humanity for thousands of years, that goes beyond human understanding,” Shiferaw said. “Everyone is united in the same awe.”

But even in the Bay Area, we may detect a subtle dimming, evidence of the clockwork of the universe as the sun and moon appear to cross paths.

“The sun will look like a crescent. We’ll see a giant bite taken out of the sun’s surface,” said astronomer Andrew Fraknoi, lecturer at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco. A big, big dark disk will travel in front of the sun, he said, “and that’s the moon.”

Saturday’s astronomical event — an “annular” solar eclipse — is different from a total solar eclipse we experienced in 2017. Because the moon is in a distant part of its orbit, it’s too small to completely cover the sun, so we see a bright ring of light. A total eclipse occurs when the moon is closer to us, so it completely conceals the sun.

Friday morning is a good time to start planning. Upon awakening, look east to find the sunrise — because that’s the same spot you’ll look for the eclipse on Saturday between 8:05 a.m. and 10:42 a.m., peaking at 9:20 a.m. If possible, get some altitude. Because the morning sun will be low on the eastern horizon, any hills or tall buildings will obscure its view.

Finally, hope for clear skies. But even if morning skies are overcast, as predicted, a few gaps in the clouds could allow a glimpse.

At its peak in the Bay Area, 83% of the sun will be covered by the moon. But it might feel no darker than if a wandering cloud passed over the sun. That’s because the remaining 17% of the sun is still blazingly bright.

The only place in California with a full view will be the state’s far northeastern corner.

He may join festivities with other “ecliptophiles” in Modoc National Forest in Alturas, where the Rotary Club of Alturas will hold a pancake breakfast and the Alturas Lions Club will host a post-eclipse barbecue. Or he may ascend the nearby Warner Mountains for a more sweeping view.

For the rest of us, here’s a handy guide to understand Saturday’s sky show:

Q: How rare are these eclipses?

A: While so-called “annular eclipses” are not all that unusual, North America hasn’t seen one recently. The last big show was in the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia in December 2019.

The last total solar eclipse to cross America occurred in August 2017, touching 14 states during its 70-mile-long path of totality and thrilling a nation that hadn’t seen a total eclipse so widely viewed since 1918. There will be another one next year, on April 8.

Q: Who gets to see Saturday’s “ring of fire?”

A: It will be visible across a narrow band that crosses the corner of California and through parts of eight other states: Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Those closest to the centerline will experience darker skies. Outside of that strip, observers will see a crescent sun, or a partial solar eclipse.

Q: Since it’s only a partial eclipse, is it safe to look at it?

A: No. Exposure to the intense light from the sun — even if its just a slender slice — can cause injury to your retinas that may not heal.

Special protective “eclipse glasses,” not just sunglasses, are needed. Thanks to the Moore Foundation, 13,000 public libraries — including most in the Bay Area — will be giving away eclipse glasses. But they’re available only while supplies last. One pair per household.

If you can’t find eclipse glasses, try looking for small eclipse images on the ground under a leafy tree. Or use a kitchen colander or perforated serving spoon, held over your shoulder. The small holes in these objects act like pinhole cameras that project images of the eclipse below you. This effect is most dramatic within a half hour of the the maximum eclipse.

Here are some of the viewing parties planned in the Bay Area:

• Berkeley: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. UC Berkeley, 1 Centennial Drive https://lawrencehallofscience.org/events/eclipse-viewing-party/
• Livermore: 7:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. Tri-Valley Stargazers at Las Positas College, https://www.trivalleystargazers.org/
• Los Altos Hills: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Foothill College Observatory
• Mill Valley:  9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Mill Valley Library in Hauke Park
• Oakland: 7:30 a.m. – 3:00  p.m. Chabot Space & Science Center. 10000 Skyline Blvd). Cost:  $30 Adult, $25 Youth/Sr/Student, under 2 free.
• Palo Alto: 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 AM. Stanford/KIPAC at South Fields, 1600 El Camino Real, https://kipac.stanford.edu/events/solar-eclipse-viewing-party
• San Francisco: 9:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Exploratorium, Pier 15, Embarcadero at Green Street). It will be broadcasting live, close-up images from telescopes located in the Valley of the Gods, Utah, and Ely, Nevada.
• San Jose: 7:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. San Jose Astronomical Association, Houge Park, 3972 Twilight Drive.
• San Mateo: 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. College of San Mateo Plaza of the Sun (outside Building 36).
• Tiburon: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Marin Stargazers at Ring Mountain in Tiburon. Park at the end of Taylor Rd. https://www.facebook.com/events/259470563634380/ or see event web page.
• For a complete list: https://sites.google.com/site/aancsite/calendar/eclipses/2023-oct-14-eclipse-viewing

The solar eclipse is of the annular type, called “the ring of fire” because the moon doesn’t completely obscure the sun. Even along the path of maximum darkness, a bright edge will remain visible.

Some details of the event:

How much of the sun will be covered in the Bay Area?

The obscuration — the percentage of the sun’s area that will be covered  — will be about 77% in the Bay Area. The magnitude, indicating the fraction of the sun’s diameter that is covered, will be about 0.8. The Bay Area won’t get the “ring of fire” effect but instead will see the sun reduced to a crescent. The website TimeAndDate has video simulations of the eclipse; select a city, then click the video play icon.

How long will it last?

The moon will start crossing in front of the sun around 8 a.m. Saturday, and maximum obscuration will be around 9:20 a.m. The event will end around 10:40 a.m.

Will there be good viewing?

Saturday morning’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies in much of the Bay Area.

Do I need special equipment to view it?

Yes! Never look at the sun without proper eye protection, such as glasses specifically meant for viewing eclipses. Sunglasses or smoked glass is not adequate. You can also make a pinhole viewing device that allows you to follow the progress without looking at the sky.

Are there events in the Bay Area where I can view it with experts?

Yes. Among them:

• San Jose Astronomical Association at San Jose’s Houge Park
• Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford; register for free tickets here.
• Lawrence Berkeley Hall of Science 
• Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland
• Exploratorium, San Francisco

What U.S. cities will see the greatest obscuration?

How does it compare with the big solar eclipse a few years ago?

The eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, had a path of totality across the United States. In the Bay Area, it was around 75%.

Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday’s rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.

What’s called an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ring of fire — will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America.

As the moon lines up precisely between Earth and the sun, it will blot out all but the sun’s outer rim. A bright, blazing border will appear around the moon for as much as five minutes, wowing skygazers along a narrow path stretching from Oregon to Brazil.

The celestial showstopper will yield a partial eclipse across the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

It’s a prelude to the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Mexico, the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, in six months. Unlike Saturday, when the moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun from our perspective, the moon will be at the perfect distance on April 8, 2024.

Here’s what you need to know about the ring of fire eclipse, where you can see it and how to protect your eyes:

The eclipse will carve out a swath about 130 miles (210 kilometers) wide, starting in the North Pacific and entering the U.S. over Oregon around 8 a.m. PDT Saturday. It will culminate in the ring of fire a little over an hour later. From Oregon, the eclipse will head downward across Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, encompassing slivers of Idaho, California, Arizona and Colorado, before exiting into the Gulf of Mexico at Corpus Christi. It will take less than an hour for the flaming halo to traverse the U.S.

From there, the ring of fire will cross Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and, finally, Brazil before its grand finale over the Atlantic.

The entire eclipse — from the moment the moon starts to obscure the sun until it’s back to normal — will last 2 1/2 to three hours at any given spot. The ring of fire portion lasts from three to five minutes, depending on location.

In the U.S. alone, more than 6.5 million people live along the so-called path of annularity, with another 68 million within 200 miles (322 kilometers), according to NASA’s Alex Lockwood, a planetary scientist. “So a few hours’ short drive and you can have over 70 million witness this incredible celestial alignment,” she said.

At the same time, a crescent-shaped partial eclipse will be visible in every U.S. state, although just barely in Hawaii, provided the skies are clear. Canada, Central America and most of South America, also will see a partial eclipse. The closer to the ring of fire path, the bigger the bite the moon will appear to take out of the sun.

Can’t see it? NASA and others will provide a livestream of the eclipse.

Be sure to use safe, certified solar eclipse glasses, Lockwood stressed. Sunglasses aren’t enough to prevent eye damage. Proper protection is needed throughout the eclipse, from the initial partial phase to the ring of fire to the final partial phase.

There are other options if you don’t have eclipse glasses. You can look indirectly with a pinhole projector that you can make yourself, including one made with a cereal box.

Cameras — including those on cellphones — binoculars, or telescopes need special solar filters mounted at the front end.

One patch of Texas near San Antonio will be in the cross-hairs of Saturday’s eclipse and next April’s, with Kerrville near the center. It’s one of the locations hosting NASA’s livestream.

“Is the city of Kerrville excited? Absolutely!!!” Mayor Judy Eychner said in an email. “And having NASA here is just icing on the cake!!!”

With Saturday’s eclipse coinciding with art, music and river festivals, Eychner expects Kerrville’s population of 25,000 to double or even quadruple.

It will be 2039 before another ring of fire is visible in the U.S., and Alaska will be the only state then in the path of totality. And it will be 2046 before another ring of fire crosses into the U.S. Lower 48. That doesn’t mean they won’t be happening elsewhere: The southernmost tip of South America will get one next October, and Antarctica in 2026.

NASA and others plan a slew of observations during both eclipses, with rockets and hundreds of balloons soaring.

“It’s going to be absolutely breathtaking for science,” said NASA astrophysicist Madhulika Guhathakurta.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Aroh Barjatya will help launch three NASA-funded sounding rockets from New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range before, during and after Saturday’s eclipse. The goal is to see how eclipses set off atmospheric waves in the ionosphere nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) up that could disrupt communications.

Barjatya will be just outside Saturday’s ring of fire. And he’ll miss April’s full eclipse, while launching rockets from Virginia’s Wallops Island.

“But the bittersweet moment of not seeing annularity or totality will certainly be made up by the science return,” he said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

According to the American Astronomical Society, all 49 continental states will experience at least a partial eclipse. NASA, which has created an interactive eclipse explorer that tells users what phase the eclipse should be at a certain time and place, says the eclipse will begin in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PDT and end in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CDT.

Eager to take in this special sight? Then you will need to prepare with special viewing equipment.

Do I really need special eyewear to view the eclipse?

There is no safe time to look directly at the sun, even when it is partially eclipsed. Doing so can damage the retinas and expose your eyes to UV rays. A total solar eclipse will be about as bright as the moon and as safe to look at, according to AAS. But not all states will experience totality, so a safe way to view the celestial sight is still needed.

Is there a do-it-yourself way to view the eclipse?

What should I look for in solar glasses and filters?

Solar eclipse glasses can be purchased online, but buyer beware – some sites may sell eyewear that doesn’t conform to the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. The AAS has an extensive list of suppliers that sell safe solar glasses, filters, and viewers, but not all of these suppliers are able to ship in time for the Oct. 14 eclipse. The list also includes national retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart, but consumers should call ahead to confirm they have solar eclipse glasses in stock. 

Photography enthusiasts should also consider purchasing a filter to place over the lens of their smartphones, cameras, and telescopes. Telescopes and binoculars magnify the field of view, so looking at a partial eclipse through one of these devices  – even with solar eclipse glasses on – can still damage a viewer’s eyes.

Solar eclipse glasses are relatively inexpensive. For example, Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope in the Los Angeles area had solar eclipse glasses in stock for under $3 each. A pack of four, along with an observing kit and guide book, cost about $12. If your library participates in the STAR Library Network, you might even be able to get them free. Most of the resellers listed by the AAS take online orders, but order as soon as possible to allow time for shipping.

And buying solar eclipse glasses now is a good investment because the next eclipse happens in less than six months. A total eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, when most of the contiguous United States will experience at least a partial eclipse.

Hopefully, skywatchers will get a chance to take in at least one or both eclipses. Because after the April eclipse, there won’t be another one for more than 20 years. The next solar eclipse viewable in the United States won’t take place until August of 2044, according to NASA.