On October 14th, 2023 an annular solar eclipse of magnitude 0.9565, will cross North, Central and South America. Belize will be at the center of it all with maximum eclipse being just after 11:30am local time when 90.62% of Sun’s surface will be covered by the moon; so that the sun appears in the sky as a single ring of light, known as the ring of fire. Many of us will be viewing this for the first time and probably might be our only experience.  Let’s commemorate this event by having a 5K virtual run/walk and receive some commemorative memorabilia.

What is an Annular Eclipse? An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun.  This is different from a total eclipse because during a total eclipse the sun is completely covered.

Where can I view this annular eclipse? Short answer, from any part of Belize, however, to experience the full annular or ring of fire you must be near the center of it.  The closer you are to the center path, the longer the viewing time of the annular.

Where to see full annular in Belize?

If you look at the Belize map, anywhere in the shaded area. The closer you are to the center blue line, the longer the viewing time is.  The center blue line will give you a maximum view time of about 5min 11 secs.  whereas the outer limits will only give a few seconds.

Orange Walk Town ~ 5m 11s
Belize City ~ 5m 8s
San Felipe, OW ~ 4m 50s
Corozal Town ~ 4m 44s
San Pedro, AC ~ 4m 40s
Dangriga ~ 4m 23s
Chetumal ~ 4m 16s
Belmopan ~ 2m 59s
Maya Beach ~ 2m 11s
Seine Bight ~ 1m 32s
Placencia ~ 0m 32s
San Ignacio – 90.46%, Benque 90.23% and the entire Toledo District with Punta Gorda – 89.32% will not experience the full annular or ring of fire, but will see most the sun covered, this is still a spectacular viewing.

It all gets started at around 9:51 am with partial eclipse when the moon starts to cover the sun, maximum annular “ring of fire” starts around 11:32 am and would last for a few minutes depending on your location (examples above). The partial eclipse ends at around 1:18 pm when the moon has completely passed.

Eye Safety During an Annular Eclipse

The Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse. Therefore, during an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing.  ECLIPSE GLASSES ARE SOLD OUT!

Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.

Do NOT use eclipse glasses or handheld viewers with cameras, binoculars, or telescopes. Those require different types of solar filters.

When will Belize witness another annular or total eclipse? Surely not in our lifetime, I read it may happen again sometime between 360 – 410 years. However,  partial eclipses will be more common.

REGISTRATION / PAYMENT DEADLINE:

• Registration closes on Friday, October 6th, 2023. This will allow us time to get your eclipse glasses and medal to you.

START TIME:

• Anytime (virtual)

DISTANCE:

• 5K (3.1 miles)

START/FINISH LOCATION:

• Anywhere (virtual)

ENTRY FEE:

• Includes: Commemorative 3 1/2″  3D color medal + personalized bib + 1 eclipse glasses.
  • $25 BZ local participants

ROUTE:

• Anywhere (virtual)

CATEGORIES:

• None – Open

MEMORABILIA:

• Commemorative 3 1/2  inch custom color 3D medal
• Personalized race bib
• 1 Eclipse glasses

REGISTRATION:

• Registration: CLOSED
• Registration will only be done online
• No late registrations
• No registration on day of the event
• Deadline is Friday, October 06th, 2023 at 5pm.

T-SHIRT:

• We had,  but there are no more!  Sorry!  These are how they looked

ECLIPSE GLASSES FOR SALE:

• We had custom design eclipse glasses for sale, however, these are SOLD OUT!  Another memorabilia to collect for this once in, many of our lives, lifetime event.

WHAT’S NEXT?

• Keep your eclipse glasses safe from getting damaged because on April 08, 2024, there is a total solar eclipse. Belize won’t experience that, however, we’ll see a partial eclipse. Depending where you are in the country, we will be able to see 37 – 43% of the sun covered by the moon.

NOTE: 

After you submit your registration, an automatic email will be sent to you with additional information.  If you don’t see it in your inbox, please check the junk/spam folder or promotions tab.  If it is still not there, you may have entered your email address incorrectly, please ask us to confirm, or register again,