BREATHTAKING

Dazzling ‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse Seen Across Western Hemisphere

The dazzling sight was visible to millions in North, Central, and South America—and viewers of NASA’s livestream.

People across the Western Hemisphere were treated to an annular solar eclipse on Saturday, visible to millions across North, Central, and South America—an event that won’t occur again until 2039. NASA, whose livestream of the event had garnered nearly 7 million views by Saturday afternoon, describes an annular eclipse as what happens when the moon passes directly in front of the sun but does not completely obscure it. The result resembles a “ring of fire” suspended in the sky, according to the U.S. space agency. As Allan Hahn, who viewed the eclipse from a hot air balloon floating above New Mexico, told The Guardian, “It’s very exciting to be here and have the convergence of our love of flying with something very natural like an eclipse.”