Eric Roberts 
Over the past weekend, a celestial spectacle unfolded as the Moon aligned with the Sun and Earth, resulting in what astronomers call an annular solar eclipse. Commonly referred to as a “ring of fire” eclipse, this event showcased striking views from Earth and an eerie perspective from space.
For spectators gazing up from specific locations in North America, the Sun took on a mesmerizing form, appearing as a thin, fiery ring encircling the dark silhouette of the Moon. Hence, the nickname “ring of fire” was aptly coined for this awe-inspiring phenomenon. Those fortunate enough to be in the right spots captured captivating photographs of this celestial dance.
From the vantage point of space, the spectacle took on a distinct character. NASA’s DSCOVR EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera imager), located on the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a collaborative venture involving NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Air Force, captured an intriguing image. The image depicted a shadowy mark cast over the United States, an effect created by the Moon’s passage.
The EPIC imager’s advanced sensor capabilities provide frequent glimpses of Earth from its unique position known as Lagrange Point 1, a gravitationally stable point situated about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, nestled between the Sun and our planet, as explained by NASA.
The particular image, captured at 16:58 Universal Time (equivalent to 11:58 AM Central Daylight Time), showcased the shadow—referred to as the umbra—projected by the Moon as it extended across the Texas coast, near Corpus Christi.
While the annular eclipse was partially observable across the entire United States, as well as in Mexico and various Central and South American countries, the true heart of the phenomenon—the annularity path, where the Moon obscured the largest portion of the Sun from the observer’s perspective—offered the most remarkable views, according to NASA.
To provide a visual representation of the eclipse’s trajectory, NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio created a map outlining the path it followed across the western and central regions of the United States. This map also illustrates the duration of annularity—closer to the center of the eclipse path, the longer the event was observable.
Another map, crafted by The Planetary Society and The Eclipse Company, presents a similar depiction of the eclipse’s route.
Although this marked the final annular eclipse to traverse North America until June 21, 2039, a total solar eclipse is on the horizon for the following year. Details of this event can be found on the Eclipse Company’s website, with the eclipse set to cast its shadow from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Dive Digest journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.