Bay Area marvels as 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse makes its way over the Americas

ByAshley Strickland, CNNWire

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Bay Area marvels as 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse appears over Americas

A rare celestial spectacle appeared over the Americas Saturday - the likes of which won't be seen again in this part of the world until 2046.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A rare celestial spectacle appeared over the Americas Saturday - the likes of which won't be seen again in this part of the world until 2046.

Millions were within the path of the annular solar eclipse as it created a "ring of fire" in the sky over North, Central and South America.

During an annular solar eclipse, the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it can't completely block the sun. Instead, the sun's fiery light surrounds the moon's shadow, creating the so-called ring of fire.

This is an image of the partial eclipse from the Inner Richmond in San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
Juan Carlos Guerrero/KGO-TV

This is an image of the "Ring of Fire" provided to ABC7 News reporter JR Stone.

Our skies will be transformed on Saturday during a rare annular solar eclipse passing right by parts of the Western U.S.

The eclipse began in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PT (12:13 p.m. ET). It is expected to end off the Atlantic coast of Brazil at 3:48 p.m. ET.

As it passed over city after city, the skies darkened as the moon moved in front of the sun, causing temperatures to drop.

VIDEO: Bay Area expert shares what to expect for 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse

University of San Francisco Astronomy Professor Andrew Fraknoi tells ABC7 News what to expect and how to view Saturday's "Ring of Fire" eclipse.

Those outside of the path were also treated to a crescent-shaped partial solar eclipse, when it looks like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun.

Little crescents were visible on the ground and reflecting off car windshields and skyscraper windows. For those standing by trees, the spaces between the leaves acted as pinholes and the light streaming through those gaps appeared as individual crescents.

And if you missed out on seeing this year's annular eclipse, sky-gazers across North America are in for a treat on April 8, 2024 when a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada. So hold onto your certified eclipse glasses, solar viewers and solar filters for your camera - you can use them again in April to safely view another scintillating event.

VIDEO: Watch 2017 total solar eclipse in under 2 minutes