Saturday’s annular solar eclipse drew thousands of residents and tourists alike to southern Utah.
Ahead of this weekend, the Utah Department of Transportation warned that central and southern Utah highways would see heavy traffic, especially near Richfield and Mexican Hat.
This eclipse’s path of annularity — where the whole moon passes in front of the sun for the full ring of fire effect — included parts of Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks. Utah towns Richfield and Torrey were in the middle of the eclipse’s path and experienced full annularity for four minutes.
The eclipse brought an influx of tourists in its wake. While some communities, like Torrey, welcomed the travelers, others, like Bluff, tried to repel them.
In an annular eclipse, the moon doesn’t totally block out the sun as it would during a total eclipse. The moon passes directly in front of the sun but appears smaller. The result is a ring of sunlight around the moon.
Utahns on the Wasatch Front who couldn’t make it down south to see the full annular eclipse managed to see the moon hide nearly 90% of the sun, according to the Clark Planetarium.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The entire moon is seen in front of the sun from a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Madeline Quayle watches the annular solar eclipse in Tooele County north of Ibapah on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The beginning of the annular solar eclipse as seen in Tooele County north of Ibapah on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A man looks into his camera attached to a telescope at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nate Call orients his telescope at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sam Call of White City wears glasses as she views the annular solar eclipse at a viewing party at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jose Correa looks through a telescope at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A group of people wear glasses to view the annular solar eclipse at a viewing party at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Charlotte Call helps her father orient their telescope at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A group of children from Salt Lake City look at the annular solar eclipse at a viewing party at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) People gather at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A man watches the annular solar eclipse at a viewing party at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Solar eclipse glasses hang on a fence at a viewing party for the annular solar eclipse at Snow College in Richfield on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Francisco Kjolseth I The Salt Lake Tribune) Mitch Eaton of Fort Collins, Colo., foreground, and Brad Mager of Salt Lake City take in the annular solar eclipse from Broken Arch in Arches National Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Francisco Kjolseth I The Salt Lake Tribune) The scallop of the annular solar eclipse is captured between fingers on sandstone at Arches National Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The McAdams family from Salt Lake City poses for a photo in front of a display ahead of the annular solar eclipse in Richfield on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) From left, Keilani Burton, Maile Burton, Tammy Oshima-Burton and Vaikona Burton set up a tent in the camping area at Snow College ahead of the annular solar eclipse in Richfield on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
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