A Rare Annular Solar Eclipse Occurred Over The Weekend, And These Photos Captured Its Beauty

1.Over the weekend, an annular solar eclipse took to the night's sky.

An annular solar eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was seen in Penonome, Panama.

LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

2.This resulted in stunning photos of the "Ring of Fire" event.

an annular solar eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was seen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

3.The annular solar eclipse occurred on Saturday and was visible in places like the Tatacoa region of Colombia.

an annular solar eclipse
Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images

4.While there are several types of solar eclipses, an annular solar eclipse is the phenomenon when the moon is at its furthest distance from Earth and it passes between Earth and the sun, according to NASA. This means that the moon appeared small and did not fully cover the sun during the eclipse, which prompted the "Ring of Fire" appearance.

an annular solar eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was seen in Boerne, Texas.

Rick Kern / Getty Images

5.The "Ring of Fire" was only visible along a path that included parts of the western United States, as well as Central and South America.

a solar eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was seen from Chetumal, Mexico.

PACO BRONX/AFP via Getty Images

6.In the United States, the "Ring of Fire" corridor included parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

A solar eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was visible in Winnemucca, Nevada.

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

7.In addition to the stunning photos of the "Ring of Fire," photographers also captured the eclipse partially covering the sun, including this photo taken in Houston, Texas.

An eclipse
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

8.Here was a view from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

An eclipse
ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images

9.And Mexico City.

an eclipse
Luis Barron / Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images

10.And over the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

An eclipse
George Frey / Getty Images

11.Here's a stunning photograph of the eclipse captured in Penonome, Panama.

An eclipse
Luis Acosta / AFP via Getty Images

12.And here are people in San Salvador, El Salvador, who came out to witness the eclipse.

People witnessing the eclipse
Camilo Freedman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

13.According to NASA, the eclipse over the weekend was the last annular solar eclipse visible in the United States for over a decade. The next one will occur on June 21, 2039, but it will only be visible in the United States in Alaska.

An eclipse

Here, the annular solar eclipse was seen from the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

George Frey / Getty Images

However, this will be preceded by another annular solar eclipse just under a year from now on Oct. 2, 2024. According to NASA, this annular solar eclipse will only be visible in South America, though its partial eclipse will be seen in North America, Antarctica, and other areas.

Finally, the opposite of an annual eclipse is a total eclipse, when the moon covers the sun, and the next total eclipse is set for April 8, 2024, according to the New York Times.