RECENT ENTRIES |
- • Flooding in Britain - 02.14
- • Sochi 2014 Olympics: Reaching the podium - 02.13
- • The 2014 Westminster Dog Show - 02.10
- • 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Soch - 02.07

Translate into:
(Hint: Use 'j' and 'k' keys to move up and down)
May 21, 2012 |
Ring of Fire Eclipse: 2012
A rare annular eclipse - a ring of sunlight as the new moon, passing between Earth and sun, blocks most, but not all, of the sun's disc. It is striking to see. Differing from a total solar eclipse, the moon in an annular eclipse appears too small to cover the sun completely, leaving a ring of fire effect around the moon. The eclipse cast its shallow path crossing the West from west Texas to Oregon then arcing across the northern Pacific Ocean to Tokyo, Japan. (Thanks to all Big Picture viewers for sending us your images of the eclipse.) -- Paula Nelson (49 photos total)

A partial solar eclipse as seen during sunrise in the coastal town of Gumaca, Quezon province, southeast of Manila, May 21, 2012. Thousands turned their eyes to the sky on both sides of the Pacific to gaze excitedly as an eclipse occluded the sun at dawn in Asia and at dusk in the western United States. An annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun, but is too far from the Earth to block it out completely, leaving a "ring of fire" visible. (Ted Aljibeted Aljibe/AFP/GettyImages)

A solar eclipse rises over the horizon in Xiamen in southeastern China's Fujian province, May 21, 2012. Millions of Asians watched as a rare "ring of fire" eclipse crossed their skies. The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across the continent. (Associated Press) #

Maikos, or apprentice geishas, observe an annular solar eclipse with solar viewers at a shrine in Kyoto, western Japan, May 21, 2012. The sun and moon aligned over the Earth in a rare astronomical event - an annular eclipse that dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, briefly turning the sun into a blazing ring of fire. (Yomiuri Shimbun/Reuters) #

Sun spots are seen as the moon moves into a partial eclipse position after reaching annularity during the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994, May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Differing from a total solar eclipse, the moon in an annular eclipse appears too small to cover the sun completely, leaving a ring of fire effect around the moon. (David McNew/Getty Images) #

An eclipse is seen at the Bund along the Huangpu River in Shanghai, May 21, 2012. The sun and moon aligned over the earth in a rare astronomical event - an annular eclipse that dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, which briefly turned the sun into a blazing ring of fire. (Aly Song/Reuters) #

Brendon Ladd of La Habra, Calif. leans over his daughter Mary Carson, 5, of Palm Springs, Calif. as she looks through a telescope during an eclipse viewing event held at The Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage. The eclipse was visible as a partial eclipse in the Coachella Valley, but in other parts of the country it was visible as an annular eclipse creating a visual ring of fire around the moon. Palm Springs, Calif. astronomer Bob Victor said that for the Coachella Valley, this will be the biggest portion of the sun covered by area until an eclipse in 2044. (Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun) #

A composite of images of the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 shows several stages, as the eclipse passes through annularity and the sun changes color as it approaches sunset, May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Differing from a total solar eclipse, the moon in an annular eclipse appears too small to cover the sun completely, leaving a ring of fire effect around the moon. (David McNew/Getty Images) #

Peggy Pennington watches the annular eclipse with her dogs Sasha and Foxy Lady, in Kanarraville, Utah, May 20 2012. The tiny town of Kanarraville, 40 miles north of St George and 263 miles south of Salt Lake City, marketed the town's"sweet spot" location where an almost perfect annular eclipse could be seen bringing visitors and vendors to their solar eclipse viewing "party". Kanarraville is a town in Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 311 at the 2000 census. (Robyn Beck/AFP/GettyImages) #

An annular solar eclipse is partially seen at sunrise, May 21, 2012, from the coastal township of Gumaca, Quezon province, 187 kilometers (116 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines. Millions of Asians watched as a rare "ring of fire" eclipse crossed their skies. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press) #

Pat Wehling of Albuquerque watches the annular solar eclipse at the Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, N.M., May 20, 2012. Bus loads of people turned out for the viewing party at the monument. Albuquerque was one of the best spots in the U.S. to witness the eclipse. (Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press) #

People watch a rare annular eclipse dim the sky, as the sun and moon align for a "ring of fire" spectacle over the southwestern town of Kanarraville, Utah, May 20, 2012. Eclipses of some type occur almost every year, but stargazers have not seen an annular - shaped like a ring - eclipse on U.S. soil since 1994, and the next one is not to occur until 2023. (Jim Urquhart/Retuers) #
More links and information
Rare 'ring of fire' solar eclipse comes to California - LAtimes.com
Solar eclipse - Wikipedia entry