What Is an Annular Eclipse?

On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse. But what is an annular eclipse? Why does it happen? And why does it create a “ring of fire” in the sky?

Credits:

Music: “Insect Village” by Anthony Donje [PRS], Paul Simon Elliott [PRS] via Universal Production Music

Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Joy Ng (KBRwyle)
Writer: Vanessa J. Thomas (KBRwyle)
Editor: Beth Anthony (KBRwyle)
Animator: Beth Anthony (KBRwyle)
Scientist: Michael S. Kirk (GSFC)