An annular eclipse occurred on 14th October, 2023, and was seen in various parts of the United States, Central and South America. The eclipse had a 125-mile path of annularity which covered a really wide area. The path began over the Pacific Ocean and made landfall in Oregon. The path arched from Oregon to Texas; then it continued south through Central America to Brazil.
Those within the path of the annularity witnessed the full ring of fire effect, while regions not on the eclipse’s path experienced a partial eclipse. Since the Moon is farther away from the Earth, it appeared smaller than the Sun and did not completely cover the Sun. The Moon appeared as a dark disk on top of a larger bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the moon. An annular solar eclipse is not so rare as it happens every one or two years. There was a lot of excitement from crowds who gathered together at various locations across the Americas to see the eclipse. It was a sight to see for millions of people across the Americas. Some looked at the eclipse through box projectors while others looked through telescopes and special glasses, “eclipse glasses”.
Though this annular solar eclipse does not produce the same awe-inspiring darkness as the total solar eclipse, it was still a sight to see marveling all who saw it. The whole event took about three hours but the annularity (ring-shape) only lasted about five minutes. The next “ring of fire” will not happen in the United States until 2039. The next eclipse to happen will be a total solar eclipse, when the moon will completely block the sun. It will occur on 8th April, 2024.
The annular eclipse is also known as the ring of fire due to a striking red-orange ring. It occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking out most but not quite all of the Sun’s light. These eclipses and other astronomical events are regularly observed and recorded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). They do this to make further research about phenomena like these and to give more insight.