PAROWAN, Utah (ABC4) — The “Ring of Fire” is here.
All eyes are on the skies this morning across Utah as the annular eclipse makes a path across the Beehive State.
To get the full effect of this year’s ring of fire eclipse in the U.S., you will need to be within a narrow path stretching from Oregon to Texas. NASA said that outside this path, however, people across the U.S., including in Puerto Rico and parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will see a partial solar eclipse.
An annular solar eclipse, also known as a “ring of fire” eclipse, happens when the Moon is “at or near” its farthest point from Earth, according to NASA.
The eclipse gets its namesake from the appearance of a glowing ring around the Moon as it passes in front of the Sun. The reason why the glowing ring around the Moon occurs is this: Because the Moon is farther away than it is during what is known as a total solar eclipse, the Moon appears smaller and doesn’t block out the entire Sun, according to NASA.
NASA will be live streaming the event here. Their live stream will be broadcast from Kerrville, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico within the narrow path, which scientists refer to as the “path of annularity.” The coverage will reportedly include live views of the eclipse from multiple locations, interviews with scientists and other experts, as well as a live Q&A segment.
As many as 300,000 out-of-state residents are expected to flood the state to see the eclipse.
