“Ring of fire” eclipse to dazzle Americas

October 14, 2023 - A rare annular solar eclipse will dazzle skywatchers in parts of the U.S., Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America.

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The October 14 eclipse is one of the most anticipated astronomical events of 2023.

Passing across 10 countries and running a decent path down through the US, the annular solar eclipse – also called a “ring of fire” eclipse – will be watched by millions of people.

The most scenic places to see the ring of fire are in the U.S. Southwest and at the Mayan temple at Edzná on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

For the U.S., the event will be something of a warm-up to a long total solar eclipse exactly 177 days later on April 8, 2024.

An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon appears relatively small in the sky so does not fully cover the disk of the sun, leaving a thin outer ring often called a “ring of fire.”