Observers in South America and Africa were care for to a gorgeous annulate eclipse yesterday , when the Sun creates a “ ring of fire ” around the Moon .
The full occultation was visible in southern Chile and Argentina , and parts of Africa including Angola . Observers in other parts of South America and Africa saw a partial eclipse , with the Moon only slightly passing over the Sun ( the view was seeable from Antarctica , too ) . The fourth dimension of maximal eclipse was 9.58am EST ( 2.58pm GMT ) yesterday , February 26 .
An annular eclipse fall out when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun and blocks our sentiment of the wiz on Earth , but it does n’t quite cover the entire disk of the Sun . This happens because the Moon ’s orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical . At its furthest distance , known as its apogee , it is about 400,000 kilometre ( 250,000 miles ) away compare to 360,000 klick ( 225,000 mi ) for the closest full point , its perigee .
The path of yesterday ’s eclipse.timeanddate.com
A time - lapse of the eclipse.live.slooh.com
The result is this tintinnabulation of fire force around the Moon , as the outer edges of the Sun ’s disc peek around . The whole occultation , from the Moon first enroll the Sun ’s disk to leaving it , direct about an hour . As always , an occultation like this can only be observed with proper equipment like a telescope with a solar filter or a duo of solar eclipse glasses .
Yesterday ’s case was beam by theSloohonline observatory , who released video and clock time - lapse footage of the outcome .
If you did n’t catch it live , fret not . There are atleast twosolar eclipses every yr , although seeing them from a special locating is rarefied .
And on August 21 this year , observers in the US will be treated to a raretotal solar eclipsethat will sweep across the state from the northwest to the southeast . That ’ll be one you definitely do n’t want to miss .
