Solar Eclipse at Sunrise: Where and When to Watch the ‘Ring of Fire’

Weather and geography may make it difficult to see the rare spectacle, but those in the path or experiencing clear skies may get a show worth waking up early for.

Every couple of years or so somewhere on Earth, the wanderings of our planet, the sun and the moon cause them to line up like billiard balls on a velvet space table. Seeing worlds disappear behind each other in an eclipse can make you cry or scream. But getting to that point frequently takes hard work, and maybe even a bit of luck. That looked to be as true for the coming eclipse as it has been since humans started chasing these celestial occurrences. On Thursday just after sunrise over the eastern half of North America, the sun will be almost completely blotted out by the moon for a few dawn hours in an annular solar eclipse.