This past October 14, millions of eyes went straight to the sky to enjoy an annular solar eclipse. The eclipse was visible especially in North America, Central America and South America, providing a spectacle that will not be repeated in these latitudes until 2046 – a total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024.
This event began at approximately 11:30 a.m. Miami time, reaching its peak around 1:00 p.m., at which time the famous ring of fire could be observed.
This visual effect occurs when the Moon, located at a great distance in its orbit from the Earth, comes between the Sun and the Earth, but does not completely cover the solar field, leaving a ring of sunlight visible.
The duration of the annularity, where the ring of fire manifests in its entirety, varied between 2 and 5 minutes depending on the geographical location, with partial phases of the eclipse observable between 1 and 2 hours before and after.
The eclipse transit followed a defined path, beginning in areas of the United States such as Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, and also extending to certain areas of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona.
Subsequently, the phenomenon continued its course towards Central America, passing through Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Panama. South America also participated in this celestial event, especially Colombia and Brazil, before the eclipse moved towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Although this phenomenon was mainly visible in the Western Hemisphere, it also had a presence, although smaller, in Spanish territory. The Canary Islands were the scene where the eclipse could be seen partially, although of very low magnitude.
According to the Astronomy Department of the National Geographic Institute, the westernmost islands such as El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, were able to glimpse this astronomical event, although the sunset of the Sun occurred shortly after its start, limiting visibility. .
