'Ring of fire' solar eclipse will be partly visible from Indiana. What to know.

Correction: The first sentence of this article was updated to indicate a solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth.

Indianapolis will be treated to a partial solar eclipse in mid-October when nearly half the moon will cover the sun. Better yet, this cosmic event happens on a Saturday and will last almost three hours, making its viewing especially convenient — weather permitting, of course.

What time will the solar eclipse happen in Indiana?

The partial solar eclipse begins in the Indianapolis area at 11:39 a.m. Oct. 14 and doesn't end until 2:28 p.m. The time when the sun will be most covered by the moon in the Circle City will happen at around 1 p.m.

The eclipse traveling across North, Central, and South America is an "annular" solar eclipse, according to NASA, or when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, meaning the moon's shadow won't be long enough to reach our planet's surface. It's the last annular solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until June 2039.

Start planning now:Hoosiers have less than 4 minutes to see this rare total solar eclipse in 2024

While October's cosmic spectacle is exciting, local astronomers say it's a herald of bigger things to come.

"This partial solar eclipse is just a warmup for the gigantic event in April," said Butler University Physics & Astronomy professor Brian Murphy in a message to IndyStar, speaking about the rare total solar eclipse happening in 2024. Indianapolis hasn't had one of those in more than 800 years.

"To prepare the public, we're running our eclipse programming at the observatory to get people ready for both eclipses," Murphy said. "We'll also be selling eclipse glasses at all our public shows."

Murphy said telescopes with solar filters will be available for public viewing at Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium, 4600 Sunset Ave, which can be reached by heading west on 46th or 49th Street from Meridian Street.

People in the direct path of the eclipse will experience what people call a "ring of fire" eclipse.

What happens during a partial solar eclipse?

A partial solar eclipse, says NASA, happens when the moon travels between the Earth and sun, but the Earth, sun and moon are not perfectly aligned. The sun will be partially covered, appearing as a bright crescent in the sky.

Is it safe to look at a partial solar eclipse without eye protection?

It's never safe to look at the sun without proper eye protection. Be sure you're using safe solar viewers, which are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses and comply with international safety standards. If you don't have solar glasses, making a pinhole projector is relatively simple and instructions can be found online.

Scientists at NASA advise people watching a solar eclipse to take the following precautions:

• Always use solar viewers, or "eclipse glasses" to watch a solar eclipse.
• Inspect your eclipse glasses or handheld viewer for scratches. If damaged, discard them.
• Always supervise children using solar viewers.
• DO NOT look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other device while wearing eclipse glasses. The concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and can cause serious eye injury.

From September through early October, Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium will provide educational programming about the annular solar eclipse. Visit butler.edu/arts-sciences/holcomb-observatory/ for more information.

Path of the Oct. 14, 2023 partial solar eclipse

Where & When | 2023 Annular Eclipse - NASA Solar System Exploration

What is the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse?

A solar eclipse, like the one coming Saturday, happens when the moon passes in front of the sun, causing the moon to cast a shadow visible to us. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is between the sun and moon, causing the planet to cast a shadow on the moon.

Weather forecast for Saturday's solar eclipse

National Weather Service says it will be partly sunny with a 70% chance for showers, mainly after 2 p.m., according to the forecast posted early Thursday.

When Indiana will next see a solar eclipse

Assuming the weather plays nice, Hoosiers living in some parts of Indiana will be treated to a rare total solar eclipse that will cut a narrow ribbon across North America in April 2024.

How rare?

Astronomers say the next total eclipse seen from the contiguous United States won't happen again until August 2044. And the last time a total solar eclipse passed over Indianapolis was more than 800 years ago in 1205 when Genghis Khan was consolidating his power in China.

Solar eclipse 2024:Hoosiers have less than 4 minutes to see this rare total eclipse

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com