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User:Nicole Sharp/USA travel guide for the October 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse

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Globe showing the Annular Solar Eclipse path for 2023-10-14.

There will be an Annular Solar Eclipse on 2023-10-14.  For the Contiguous United States of America (USA), Solar annularity will be visible from Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon.

The next Annular Solar Eclipse visible from the Contiguous USA after 2023-10-14 will not be until 2046-02-05, visible from Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon.  This will be a wait time of twenty-three years.

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To observe the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023-10-14 in the United States of America, you want to be as far east as possible on the Path of Annularity in order to have the highest possible altitude angle at the time of eclipse maximum.  However, you also need to be in a location with clear (or mostly clear) skies and no (or very little) wind.  Corpus Christi (Texas) is the eastern terminus of the eclipse path in the USA but the weather in October for coastal Texas may not be favorable, which means getting further inland. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]  The next stop west along the eclipse centerline after Corpus Christi (Texas) is Hobbs (New Mexico).

A major difference between a Total Solar Eclipse or Partial Solar Eclipse and an Annular Solar Eclipse is that in order to properly witness Solar annularity, you must be as close as possible to the eclipse centerline and not simply anywhere inside the eclipse path.  Any deviation from the eclipse centerline will cause Luna to appear off-axis and thus will not form a true Solar annulus.  Whereas during Solar totality, your geographic position inside the eclipse path determines the duration of totality but does not significantly affect the appearance of totality, unlike for annularity during an Annular Solar Eclipse.  This makes observing an Annular Solar Eclipse much more challenging than a Total Solar Eclipse since the number of available eclipse observation sites within the eclipse path is proportional to the square of the desired distance from the eclipse centerline.

Additional considerations are that you need an unobstructed field of view in the direction of Sol (such as no buildings or trees in the way) and you will get a clearer view if there is vegetation or water in the azimuth direction of Sol (not sand, pavement, or buildings).  A Solar telescope should always be set up on grass (not pavement) if possible.  Ideally you want to avoid any urban areas since this can degrade seeing quality.  Your parking space should also be close enough to the observation site so that you have a direct line of sight between your telescope and your vehicle.

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Locations listed here are within 2−16 of a Terran mean circumference (0.6108 kilometers, 0.3795 miles, 668 yards, or 2004 feet) from the eclipse centerline which should provide the best possible Solar annulus. [6]  All locations in Texas and New Mexico are listed, plus one additional location in Utah.  Locations are sorted by default from east to west in longitude, with no locations listed west of the easternmost location in Utah.

Click here to view the eclipse centerline with Google Maps.

Locations within 2−17 of a Terran mean circumference (0.3054 kilometers, 0.1898 miles, 334 yards, or 1002 feet) from the eclipse centerline are listed in bold (19 locations), locations within 2−18 of a Terran mean circumference (0.1527 kilometers, 0.09489 miles, 167 yards, or 501 feet) from the eclipse centerline are listed in bold underline (8 locations), and locations within 2−19 of a Terran mean circumference (0.07635 kilometers, 0.04744 miles, 83.5 yards, or 250.5 feet) from the eclipse centerline are listed in bold double underline (3 locations).

The data provided here is intended as a general guideline only and may contain errors.  These locations were identified based on remote imagery from Google Maps and other than from the information that I can find available on the World Wide Web, I have no idea if they still exist or are publicly accessible. [7]  You should have multiple locations selected in advance, scout the locations in person the day before the eclipse, and allow yourself enough time on the morning of the eclipse to change locations if necessary.

Remember that you should use GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to find observing sites and not rely on street addresses, especially since many parks and wilderness areas may have a postal address that is far away from the actual location.  Addresses given in italics should definitely not be used for directions.

Latitudes and longitudes were identified using Google Maps in combination with Occult from the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA).  Elevations are from the USGS (USA Geological Survey) Elevation Point Query Service. [8]  Eclipse start times, times of eclipse maximum, eclipse end times, eclipse magnitudes ("mag"), and at maximum eclipse (expressed as airmasses ["air"]) are from IOTA Occult. [9]  Average cloudiness (cl.) for October 14, average windspeed for October (expressed on the Beaufort wind force [B] scale), average air temperature (te.) for October, and average air pressure (pr.) for October are from Time and Date Aksjeselskap. [10]

Times are given in the local timezone (T) for each location.

location address latitude longitude elevation start max end T mag air cl. B te. pr.
Packery Channel Oak Motte Sanctuary 14220 S. Padre Island Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78404 27.629106993352558 -97.21791448668667 1.373965740 m 10:26:51 11:58:52 13:38:55 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Packery Channel Nature Park 14218 Park Rd. 22, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 27.626424227586060 -97.22124179592429 2.296695232 m 10:26:51 11:58:52 13:38:55 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Sarnia Park 400A N. Shoreline Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 27.792924914534540 -97.38837591377255 1.483780622 m 10:26:30 11:58:21 13:38:16 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Sherrill Park 222 S. Shoreline Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 27.791001004482155 -97.39255437129611 4.194799900 m 10:26:30 11:58:20 13:38:16 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Artesian Park 813 N. Chapparral St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 27.799406697068680 -97.39475811576810 1.426463366 m 10:26:29 11:58:19 13:38:15 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Spohn Park 213 N. Mesquite St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 27.794126148686153 -97.39597399238578 3.241936207 m 10:26:30 11:58:20 13:38:15 -5 0.975 1.3 54% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Upper Broadway Park 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401 27.795710095997112 -97.40023169807303 9.774136543 m 10:26:29 11:58:19 13:38:15 -5 0.975 1.3 58% 2.9 24°C 1016 mb
Washington Park 520 S. Fourth St., Hobbs, NM 88240 32.695132402803730 -103.12189621057546 1098.750366211 m 09:17:09 10:43:41 12:18:57 -6 0.974 1.5 32% 3.1 17°C 1016 mb
King Soccerplex 1409 S. Dal Paso St., Hobbs, NM 88240 32.689280029909156 -103.12532471201577 1098.384399414 m 09:17:09 10:43:41 12:18:57 -6 0.974 1.5 32% 3.1 17°C 1016 mb
Humble Park 820 N. Grimes St., Hobbs, NM 88240 32.708390997363520 -103.14422018415978 1108.691162109 m 09:17:07 10:43:38 12:18:53 -6 0.974 1.5 32% 3.1 17°C 1016 mb
Jefferson Elementary School 1200 W. Park, Hobbs, NM 88240 32.707276046843940 -103.14919783054361 1109.793945313 m 09:17:07 10:43:38 12:18:52 -6 0.974 1.5 32% 3.1 17°C 1016 mb
Bensing Park 1401 W. Clinton St., Hobbs, NM 88240 32.707339411317975 -103.15193967651592 1110.165893555 m 09:17:07 10:43:37 12:18:52 -6 0.974 1.5 32% 3.1 17°C 1016 mb
Three Gun Trailhead 2113 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 35.076468878467640 -106.44417450199971 1927.192138672 m 09:13:23 10:37:13 12:09:49 -6 0.974 1.7 26% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Embudo Trailhead 2113 Osuna Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 35.099015280469736 -106.47977064544932 1883.783081055 m 09:13:21 10:37:09 12:09:43 -6 0.974 1.7 26% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Menaul Trailhead 3615 Los Picaros Rd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105 35.104931742101790 -106.48832607476871 1826.338378906 m 09:13:21 10:37:09 12:09:42 -6 0.974 1.7 27% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Holiday Park 11710 Comanche Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111 35.123171939684750 -106.50832103164810 1746.963500977 m 09:13:20 10:37:06 12:09:39 -6 0.974 1.7 26% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Haynes Park 2006 Grande Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.222059979304080 -106.66316591794453 1595.085327148 m 09:13:11 10:36:51 12:09:16 -6 0.974 1.7 24% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Chianti Park 1210 Chianti Rd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.232948599933830 -106.68123588833546 1617.083740234 m 09:13:10 10:36:49 12:09:13 -6 0.974 1.7 24% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Cabezon Park 2305 Cabezon Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.231706034043285 -106.68944544040455 1617.995361328 m 09:13:10 10:36:48 12:09:12 -6 0.974 1.7 24% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Western Winds Park 2260 Zaragoza Rd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.245321265835486 -106.69098172286776 1650.114257813 m 09:13:09 10:36:48 12:09:11 -6 0.974 1.7 24% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Star Heights Park 800 Polaris Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.246861788085420 -106.70309738645146 1669.708618164 m 09:13:09 10:36:47 12:09:10 -6 0.974 1.7 25% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Sugar Park 500 Sugar Rd. NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144 35.252347780215445 -106.70916693777448 1698.502319336 m 09:13:08 10:36:46 12:09:09 -6 0.974 1.7 25% 1.8 15°C 1015 mb
Chaco Culture National Historical Park 11577 USA Hwy. 550, Nageezi, NM 87037 36.030512129387496 -107.90517899441724 1889.114013672 m 09:12:03 10:34:46 12:06:13 -6 0.973 1.7 25% 1.8 12°C 1018 mb
Chaco Observatory 11577 USA Hwy. 550, Nageezi, NM 87037 36.030829365470126 -107.90993560556717 1889.400634766 m 09:12:03 10:34:46 12:06:12 -6 0.973 1.7 25% 1.8 12°C 1018 mb
Oak Creek Campground 167 W. 100 S., Richfield, UT 84701 38.089781474967140 -111.34180986801425 2703.356201172 m 09:09:28 10:29:46 11:58:36 -6 0.973 2.0 32% 1.8 11°C 1017 mb

Note that there are very confusingly two different campgrounds at Fishlake National Forest both named "Oak Creek Campground".  Always use the GPS coordinates and don't get these mixed up.

USA map of the Annular Solar Eclipse path for 2023-10-14.


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