Second and final solar eclipse of 2016

Example of an annular eclipse courtesy of the

Thursday, Sept. 1, a solar eclipse will occur across Africa. This is the second solar eclipse of the year. In March there was a total eclipse across southeast Asia into the central Pacific.

This eclipse will be slightly different; it will be an annular eclipse. These events are also known as "ring of fire" eclipses.

Basically, the moon will be rather far from the Earth, so the diameter of the moon will be smaller than the apparent diameter of the sun as it passes in front Thursday.

This gives the ring of fire effect; the sun will shine brightly around the edges of the moon.

The greatest eclipse will occur in the Southern Hemisphere portion of Africa. Some countries included are Gabon, the Republic of Congo Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Watch the eclipse live via Slooh

Sky Conditions Forecast

Model depiction of cloud cover for Thursday morning. Model graphics like this are available with an

Good news for those heading to Africa, the weather looks to be clear. This time of year, the main belt of moisture (the Intertropical Convergence Zone) is mostly north of the path of the eclipse.

The next solar eclipse will be another annular event in February in the Southern Hemisphere. The next "total" solar eclipse will be coast-to-coast in the United States in August of 2017. We will have a lot more information about that eclipse in the coming months!

Thanks for reading, and just look up, you never know what you will see!

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