‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse begins its path across the Americas, stretching from Oregon to Brazil
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A partial solar eclipse of the sun, the first stage of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse that is expected to cut across the Americas, began to emerge Saturday morning.
NASA’s livestream of the phenomenon showed the moon starting to cover the sun in Eugene, Oregon, shortly after 8 a.m. local time.
For the small towns and cities along its narrow path, there was a mix of excitement, worries about the weather and concerns they’d be overwhelmed by visitors flocking to see the celestial event, also called an annular solar eclipse. Clouds and fog threatened to obscure the view of the eclipse in some western states, including California and Oregon.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun during a ring of fire eclipse. When the moon lines up between Earth and the sun, it leaves a bright, blazing border.