Ring of Fire

An annular eclipse of the sun will be visible from May 20 – 21 along part of the Northern hemisphere, starting in Eastern Asia, crossing the North Pacific ocean and ending in the western United States. A partial eclipse will be visible from a larger area covering East Asia, North Pacific, North America and Greenland. During an annular eclipse, the moon does not block out the entire sun but leaves a bright “ring of fire” around the edges. An eclipse has always been regarded as one of the great wonders of the cosmos: many ancient civilisations saw the sun as a bringer of light and life, so the blocking out of the sun’s light was not considered a good omen. This annular eclipse (from the Latin “annulus” meaning ring) takes place shortly before another significant astronomical event, the Venus transit, with this planet due to cross the face of the sun on 5/6June.