A rare astronomical phenomenon will once again be visible in parts of Latin America: an annular solar eclipse, popularly known as the “ring of fire.” This event will occur on Wednesday, October 2, and will be partially or fully visible in some regions of Brazil, as well as countries like Argentina and Chile.

During this type of eclipse, the Moon positions itself between the Earth and the Sun, blocking most of the sunlight from reaching our planet. However, since the Moon will be at a more distant point from Earth at this time, it won’t completely cover the Sun, creating the visual effect of a “ring of fire” around the Moon. Nicola Fox, from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, explains: “An annular eclipse only occurs when the Moon is at its farthest point from Earth. From our perspective, the Moon appears smaller and doesn’t block all of the Sun’s light, forming this bright ring around it.”
This happens because of the Moon’s elliptical orbit, which means that at times, it is farther from Earth and appears smaller in the sky. According to NASA, annular eclipses can be visually stunning, and in some instances, the “ring of fire” can last over 10 minutes, although the average duration is around five to six minutes.
Where will it be visible?
Last year, a similar event was observed across various parts of the Americas, especially in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Millions of people witnessed the Sun transforming into an impressive “ring of fire” for several minutes.
Although this year’s eclipse is the same type, the difference is that most of its path will pass over oceanic areas, far from major population centers. This makes it a bit more challenging to observe from land. In Brazil, the best viewing points will
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