Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
On Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, NOAA satellites observed an annular solar eclipse traverse parts of North, Central, and South America.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon crosses between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadowy path as it moves. However, the Moon's orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle; it's slightly elliptical. This means that the Moon's distance from Earth varies throughout its orbit.
When the Moon is near its apogee (the farthest point from Earth in its orbit), it appears smaller in the sky. Conversely, when it's closer to its perigee (the closest point to Earth), it appears larger.
During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon moves in front of the Sun at or near apogee. At this distance, it is not large enough from our perspective on Earth to completely cover the Sun. The result is an annular solar eclipse, where the edges of the solar disk peek out around the moon, creating a “ring of fire” phenomenon if viewed from within its shadow’s path.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Eclipse animations: NASA/CI Labs
Annular eclipse photo: NASA/Bill Dunford
Total solar eclipse photo: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Solar Eclipse Map: NASA/SVS
Music: “Eclipse” by Nate Dodge [ASCAP]; Audio Wax; Universal Production Music
On Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, NOAA satellites observed an annular solar eclipse traverse parts of North, Central, and South America.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon crosses between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadowy path as it moves. However, the Moon's orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle; it's slightly elliptical. This means that the Moon's distance from Earth varies throughout its orbit.
When the Moon is near its apogee (the farthest point from Earth in its orbit), it appears smaller in the sky. Conversely, when it's closer to its perigee (the closest point to Earth), it appears larger.
During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon moves in front of the Sun at or near apogee. At this distance, it is not large enough from our perspective on Earth to completely cover the Sun. The result is an annular solar eclipse, where the edges of the solar disk peek out around the moon, creating a “ring of fire” phenomenon if viewed from within its shadow’s path.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Eclipse animations: NASA/CI Labs
Annular eclipse photo: NASA/Bill Dunford
Total solar eclipse photo: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Solar Eclipse Map: NASA/SVS
Music: “Eclipse” by Nate Dodge [ASCAP]; Audio Wax; Universal Production Music
