Satellites Offer New Look At 'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - People in southern Chile, southern Argentina and parts of Africa were treated to a rare sight this past Sunday. They got to see an annular eclipse, also known as a 'ring of fire' eclipse. That is when the moon passes in front of the sun, creating a circle of light in the sky.
The above photograph shows what this 'ring of fire' looks like from Earth's surface. But new satellite images provide another look at this solar event, from a different perspective. It is a combination of pictures collected from NASA, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Satellites looking down at Earth saw the annular eclipse as a shadow passing over the planet's surface. This is the image of the moon as it travels in front of the sun. Check it out in the animation below, provided by NASA, showing this unique viewpoint of the event.
North America has its own eclipse coming up later this year. People across much of the United States will be able to see a total solar eclipse on August 21. That is where the sun is completely blocked -- no 'ring of fire' left behind. The contiguous United States has not seen a total solar eclipse since 1979.