Solar Eclipse 2012: The 'Ring of Fire'

The sun and moon aligned over the earth in a rare astronomical event on Sunday - an annular eclipse that dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, briefly turning the sun into a blazing ring of fire.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. That is because the phenomenon requires a particular set of orbital dynamics, NASA Space Scientist Jeffrey Newmark said.An annular eclipse occurs when the moon's orbit is at its furthest point from the Earth and closer to the much larger sun. That juxtaposition allows the moon to block more than 90 percent of the sun's rays when the two orbs slide into alignment."It's like moving your fist in front of your eyes," Newmark said. "You can block out the view of a whole mountain. It's the same kind of effect."The eclipse was first visible over southern Asia and then moved across the Pacific. Traveling on diagonal path, the eclipse began its way across parts of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, and was expected to disappear in Texas with the sunset.Day did not turn into night. But light faded as the moon slid in front of the sun, much like turning down a dimmer switch, and then slowly returned as the moon moved away.From start to finish, the eclipse was to be visible for just under two hours. A view of the so-called "ring of fire" spectacle at the eclipse's peak, however, was to last about four minutes, and even then was only visible to viewers positioned along the centerline of the eclipse's path.(Reuters)

Gallery View:Solar Eclipse 2012: The 'Ring of Fire'
CLOSE

1 - 15 of 15
PrevNext
  1. Annular Solar Eclipse Observed In California
  2. Annular Solar Eclipse Observed In California
  3. Annular Solar Eclipse Observed In California
  4. Annular Solar Eclipse Observed In California
  5. solar eclipse
  6. solar eclipse
Loading...

Related Videos

Most Popular »

  • NRI teen invents 30-second phone charger

    Indian-American teen invents gadget that can charge phone in 30 seconds

  • Manmohan vs Sonia: Policitical ambitions clash
    Manmohan vs Sonia: Policitical ambitions clash

    After nine years in Government, the political ambitions of Manmohan and Sonia are at clash point. The trust deficit is widening. With the Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, both sides are positioning themselves-Manmohan for a dignified exit, if not a third term, and Sonia for a clean slate for son Rahul Gandhi. Manmohan and Sonia are locked in an uncomfortable embrace. The tensions are bound to simmer even if the endgame unfolds months later. Unfortunately, the Congress can no longer blame

  • Prof held for 'begging' says he had sought permission

    India, May 20 -- Two days after a 53-year-old professor was arrested and charged for begging on suburban trains, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) said that Sandeep Desai should have sought their permission before starting to collect money, which he uses for setting up education institutes. Desai, however, claimed that he had already given an application to the Railway administration in 2010."Before I started making rounds in the local trains for the charity, I had given a written application

  • Narendra Modi to meet BJP board today

    India, May 21 -- Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will attend his first meeting of BJP's parliamentary board on Tuesday, which follows party chief Rajnath Singh's decision to handover Uttar Pradesh affairs to his close confidant Amit Shah to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls.Singh called the board, which is BJP's supreme body, to review the political situation and the party's preparations for the elections.A day after his decision, Singh also appeared defending Shah's appointment, saying

  • 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Zaibunissa surrenders

    Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Zaibunissa Kazi, a convict in the March 1993 serial blasts case, surrendered in Mumbai court Monday afternoon, three days after a judge issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against her.

  • Sahara pulls out of IPL, not to renew BCCI sponsorship

    New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Pune Warriors India, owned by Sahara India Pariwar, pulled out of the already scandal-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) Tuesday and announced that they will not renew their sponsorship of the Indian cricket team after the present contract expires in December 2013.

  • Vindu Dara Singh nabbed for IPL scam links

    Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) A Mumbai magistrate Tuesday sent Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh, who was arrested earlier Tuesday for suspected links in the spot-fixing scam in the ongoing IPL tournament, to police custody till May 24.

More »