Don’t look directly at it (not to sound like your elementary-
school teacher), but plan on checking out a “ring of fire”
partial eclipse on Sunday, May 20, if you live on the West Coast
of North America. In this weekend’s annular solar eclipse, the
moon will slide in front of the sun and block 94% of its light.
Because the moon is near apogee — the point in its orbit when
it’s farthest away from Earth — it appears smaller to us and
will cover most of the sun, leaving a ring of fiery light
blasting the edges. (What, you thought it was a Johnny Cash
reference?) (PHOTOS: Total Eclipse of the Sun) Unfortunately for
folks on the East Coast, the sun will have already set by the
time the eclipse begins at 5:24 p.m. PDT. Those living in the
central U.S. and Canada may miss the full ring-of-fire effect
but will still get a partial eclipse. Viewers in Asia will also
catch a glimpse in the early-morning hours of May 21. Check out
NASA’s viewing map to get an idea of when and where you can get
your best view. Because an a