Ring of fire
An annular eclipse results in the “ring of fire” effect due to the Moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth. The view above was taken from Los Alamos, New Mexico. At certain times, the Moon is farther from Earth and thus appears smaller in the sky than the Sun. During an annular eclipse, the Moon does not completely cover the Sun, leaving a bright outer ring of sunlight visible. This bright circle is what’s referred to as the “ring of fire.”
