“Ring of Fire” Solar Eclipse

By Anvitha Mattapalli, Edited by Kavya Gurunath, Harvi Karatha, & Jeet Parikh

On June 10th, 2021, a “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse occurred. What are solar eclipses, and why was this one so special?

Solar eclipses are rare, but when they occur, they are a sight to see. The most recent one was the “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse on June 10th, 2021, a special type of solar eclipse that started at 9:55 UTC and is not projected to occur again for at least another two years.

Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth are all in a straight line with the Moon being in between. (If the Earth was in between, it would be a lunar eclipse.) The Moon’s shadow blocks the sunlight from shining on Earth, providing amazing sights in the sky. This only happens roughly twice a year because of the slight angle at which the Moon orbits the Earth; These two periods of time are known as eclipse seasons. The chances of a solar eclipse occurring are even slimmer than eclipse seasons, as for this phenomenon to take place, the Moon must be in the new moon phase of its cycle.

There are three types of solar eclipses: total, partial and annular. The type depends on the part of the Moon’s shadow that blocks the sunlight.

A total solar eclipse is when the umbra (the central region of the Moon’s shadow) is apparent and the center of the Sun is blocked. The sky begins to darken, and the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, becomes visible. The corona can only be seen during total solar eclipses, making this a crucial time for researchers and astronomers.

A partial solar eclipse is when the penumbra (the outer region of the Moon’s shadow) is apparent, and part of the Sun is blocked. The larger the area of the part of the Sun that is blocked, the darker the sky becomes.

However, this past solar eclipse wasn’t a total or partial one. It was an annular solar eclipse. Annular does not come from ‘annual’; It comes from the Latin word ‘annulus’, meaning a ring. During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon’s antumbra (the region of the Moon’s shadow just after the umbra) is apparent, so the only visible part of the Sun is a ring of light (‘ring of fire’) around the Sun.

Annular eclipses can run for 3-6 hours long, but the actual period of time where the ring of fire can be seen is only for 12 minutes or less. There are 5 stages in an annular eclipses. The first contact is when a partial eclipse starts. The Moon’s shadow begins to cover the sunlight here. The second contact is when the ring of fire becomes visible. Beads of light (Baily’s beads) shine across the circumference of the shadow. The maximum eclipse is when the Moon covers the Sun. The third contact is when the ring of fire can no longer be seen. Bailey’s beads may be seen again here. Finally, the fourth contact is when the Moon moves away and the eclipse concludes.

We experienced an amazing solar eclipse on June 10th. The next annular solar eclipse is expected to occur October 14, 2023. Be sure to watch it!