Ring of fire solar eclipse: People all over the world will be able to see an annular solar eclipse, which is a very rare astronomical event. People sometimes call this kind of eclipse a “ring of fire” eclipse.
It happens when the Moon moves straight between the Earth and the Sun, but not close enough to cover the Sun completely. The Sun will be around the dark shape of the Moon at this time, making a bright ring effect.
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What is an annular eclipse and why is it called “ring of fire”?
South America will be treated to an annular solar eclipse next week!
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, an annular eclipse will pass over Argentina and Chile, with partial eclipses visible from Hawaii and many other areas: https://t.co/WnlRpUs6kQ
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) September 25, 2024
At its peak, this eclipse is called the “ring of fire” because you can still see the Sun’s outer edges, which make a beautiful, fiery ring around the Moon.
In this case, NASA says that the Moon looks smaller than the Sun in the sky when it is at or near its apogee, which is its farthest point from Earth. So, the “ring” effect happens instead of a total solar eclipse, in which the Sun is completely blocked out.
Where is the annular eclipse visible?
Only a portion of Chile and Argentina will experience annularity.
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Where is a partial eclipse visible?
In many places, you’ll be able to see a partial solar eclipse, in which the Moon blocks only part of the Sun. However, the United States will not see a total solar eclipse. Hawaii and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Baker Island and Palmyra Atoll can all see a part of the eclipse.
According to Time and Date, people in Honolulu, Hawaii’s capital, can see the partial eclipse from sunrise at around 6:30 a.m. HST until just after 7:50 a.m. HST.
Here are the places that will experience varying degrees of the partial eclipse, according to NASA:
- American Samoa
- Antarctica
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Christmas Island
- Clipperton Island
- Cook Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Pitcairn Islands
- Niue
- Paraguay
- New Zealand
- Mexico
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uruguay
- Wallis and Futuna
