Ring of fire solar eclipse Oct. 14, 2023

Ring of fire solar eclipse

Sky gazers and scientists have all been counting down to witness today"s annular solar eclipse which will pass over parts of the Americas. A solar eclipse is nothing more than an alignment of the sun, Earth and moon that has the earth passing through the moon"s shadow. But why is the solar eclipse in today"s image different? It occurs when the moon is farthest from the Earth because of its elliptical orbit. When this happens, it appears smaller, letting the sun"s brilliance peek through and creating a halo—the "Ring of fire". Viewers in specific regions can witness this cosmic show, but please be cautious. This eclipse should not be looked at directly without wearing specialised eye protection.

© Sorin Furcoi/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A galaxy full of stars
Oct. 14, 2024Fishing boats at Coco Beach in Goa, India
Oct. 14, 2025Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb. 26, 2025Castle Stalker, Argyll, Scotland
A book lover’s paradise
Dec. 2, 2025Whistler, British Columbia
Single file, now!
Dec. 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
Feb. 27, 2025International Polar Bear Day
Urban planning never stops
Sep. 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Jan. 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
Jan. 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Nov. 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Sep. 8, 2023International Literacy Day
Jul. 4, 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
Oct. 26, 2023Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
Sep. 21, 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
Dec. 8, 2024Notre-Dame reopens
May 26, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Jul. 22, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
A different kind of toucan
Jul. 26, 2025International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
On a dark and stormy night...
Jan. 7, 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
Mar. 16, 2024Giant panda, Chengdu, China
This lesson is going swimmingly
Jul. 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Feb. 24, 2024Almond trees in full bloom, California
Sep. 1, 2024River Thames, London, England
Sep. 5, 20242024 Toronto International Film Festival
Feb. 28, 2025Bighorn sheep in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, United States