KTLA News

May 15, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KTLA) -- If skies are clear, skywatchers in California will observe a rare "ring of fire" eclipse this weekend. It's the first ring eclipse to be seen in the continental U.S. since 1994.

Scientists call it an "annular" eclipse in which the moon will completely block out the sun except for an annulus (Latin for "little ring") on the moon's edge, which appears as a ring of fire.

The annular eclipse is different from a total eclipse, where no "ring of fire" is visible.

The best view of the eclipse will be in the northern edge of California, coursing near Eureka, Redding, the northern suburbs of Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. At its peak, the eclipse will block about 94 percent of the sun's light.

'Monster sunspot' could bring solar flares

(CNET) A group of sunspots 11 times wider than the Earth turned to face our planet, raising the possibility of solar flares and auroras tonight, reports CNET.

More than 60,000 miles wide, Sunspot Region 1476 became visible over the weekend and two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), where a portion of the sun's atmosphere breaks off, erupted on Tuesday.

Space weather expert has ominous forecast...

Mike Hapgood, who studies solar events, says the world isn't prepared for a truly damaging storm. And one could happen soon.

By Amina Khan, Los Angeles Time
May 4, 2012, 7:26 p.m.

A stream of highly charged particles from the sun is headed straight toward Earth, threatening to plunge