On Wednesday (October 2), a handful of lucky sky watchers watched the sun transform into a spectacular “ring of fire” in the sky.
This was the result of an annular solar eclipse that swept across the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii, southern Chile, and southern Argentina. The “ring of fire” then reached the Atlantic Ocean, where it disappeared from view.
Because the annular solar eclipse begins and ends far from land, only an estimated 175,000 people gathered around it. 0.002% of world populationI live in the path of the solar eclipse, with a panoramic view of the “Ring of Fire.”
One of the most popular locations for the eclipse was remote Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as its residents called it, where crowds of skywatchers from around the world gathered to observe the celestial event. Even the threat of clouds could not dampen their excitement.
“Wow, that was amazing. That tension! Just 10 seconds before Bailey’s Beads appeared, a cloud left the sun, and a minute after the ring ended, another cloud appeared. We were really lucky. !” Eclipse tracker Jamie Carter, UK-based science journalist and magazine editor When is next Eclipse.comhe told Space.com (to which he is an occasional contributor) in an update from Easter Island. “I knew I only had a 50-50 chance, so it was an incredible feeling to actually see the ring. It was so cold a few minutes before the wedding.”
Also on Easter Island was Josh Drury, an astrophotographer based in the UK, who tracked the eclipse as a family affair. His mother also accompanied him on the trip.
“A lifelong ambition is almost complete,” Drury said via video update. “An annular solar eclipse from here at Rapa Nui, the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire.’
Mr Drury watched the eclipse from near Easter Island’s iconic Maoi statue and said it would be another 312 years before a similar celestial phenomenon was seen on the island again.
“I’m thrilled to be able to experience this eclipse with our guide and late island resident Martin Tuki and my mother,” Drury said. “This is the end of 312 years.”
Carter said the entire experience was unforgettable.
“I think the two most dramatic moments were when the horned crescent sun turned into a ring and when it disappeared, but those six minutes in between were magical,” he said. “I wanted to see the ring through the eclipse glasses, but I was also focused on seeing and photographing the ring as it was projected through the hole in the spaghetti spoon. Amazing! This is something I still It’s one of the few images of a solar eclipse that I’ve never seen before.” ”
More than 240 million people outside the circular orbit were able to see at least part of the Sun hidden by the Moon’s dark disk. Those unable to view the event in person were able to enjoy the eclipse with an eclipse live blog and livestream courtesy of timeanddate.com.
This annular solar eclipse may not have been as spectacular as the total solar eclipse that hit the continental United States on April 8, 2024, but eclipse watchers were still treated to amazing videos and photos of the celestial event. I didn’t stop taking pictures.
An annular solar eclipse differs from a total solar eclipse because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, but instead moves toward and away from the Earth. This means that when it passes between the Sun and the Earth, it will sometimes be closer to the Earth than at other times.
As the Moon approaches the Earth and moves away from the Sun, the Moon’s disk does not become large enough to completely obscure the Sun’s disk, as it does during a total solar eclipse. The result was a fiery golden ring around the moon’s dark disk. When the Moon’s occultation disk is completely surrounded by the Sun’s disk, this is called an untumbula, and observers experience a “ring of fire” representing an annular solar eclipse.
On Wednesday, October 2, an annular solar eclipse began over the Pacific Ocean at 11:15 a.m. EDT (15:42 GMT). Areas on Earth that experienced subsequent circularization include Easter Island, Cochrane, Chile; Perito Moreno National ParkPuerto San Julián and Puerto Deseado, Argentina.
partial solar eclipse
Because the Moon is so close to Earth, at least compared to the Sun, its position in the sky depends on where you are on Earth. That means skywatchers on either side of the annular path couldn’t see the full ring of fire, but they could still catch a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse.
In Punta Arenas, Chile, skywatchers could see the solar disk 75% obscured by the moon, while observers in Villarrica saw 62% obscured by the moon. Eclipse viewers in Argentina observed 72% of the sun eclipsed in Ushuaia and 42% obscured in Buenos Aires. Observers from the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina observed that 84% of the sun’s disk was covered by the moon’s surface.
Meanwhile, observers in São Paulo, Brazil, would have observed that only 10% of the solar disk was covered by the moon, making it appear as if the sun had taken a giant bite out of it.
next solar eclipse
If you missed October 2’s annular solar eclipse, you won’t have to wait too long for the next one if the stunning images above have whet your appetite.
A partial solar eclipse will be visible in northwest Africa, parts of Europe, and northern Russia on March 29, 2025. Later that year, on September 21st, another partial solar eclipse will be visible over parts of the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Antarctica.
If you really want to see an annular solar eclipse, you’ll have to wait a little longer until the next “ring of fire” appears in southern Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Antarctica on February 17, 2026.
The next total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, and will be visible from North America, West Africa, and Europe.
If you want to observe these eclipses, remember that looking at the sun is harmful to your eyes. never It is safe to look directly at the sun without eclipse glasses designed for solar viewing. Read our guide on how to safely observe the sun.