‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse begins its path across the Americas
dailyrecord.co.ukA partial solar eclipse of the sun, the first stage of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse that is expected to cut across the Americas, has begun to emerge.Nasa’s livestream of the phenomenon showed the moon starting to cover the sun in Eugene, Oregon, shortly after 8am local time (4pm BST).For the small towns and cities along its narrow path, there was a mix of excitement, worries about the weather and concerns they would be overwhelmed by visitors flocking to see the celestial event, also called an annular solar eclipse.Clouds and fog have threatened to obscure the view of the eclipse in some western states, including California and Oregon.Unlike a total solar eclipse, the moon does not completely cover the sun during a ring of fire eclipse.
When the moon lines up between the Earth and the sun, it leaves a bright, blazing border.The path is Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas in the US, with a sliver of California, Arizona and Colorado.
Next is Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Brazil.Much of the rest of the Western Hemisphere gets a partial eclipse.Viewing all depends on clear skies — part of the US path could see clouds.
Nasa and other groups planned to livestream the event.With a chance of rain in its forecast, the small town of Reedsport near Oregon’s Pacific Coast moved its eclipse festival inside.“But we’re still hoping that we might get a glimpse of it,” said city official Rosa Solano.Weather was less of a concern in tiny Baker, Nevada, where the population hovers around 100.Inn and general store owner Liz Woolsey made T-shirts and planned a slate of activities including a drum circle and a dance party.
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