(Image source: Space.com )

 

BY MATT PICHT



A solar eclipse is a spectacular sight under any circumstances. But Sunday, for the first time since 1994, viewers in the U.S. were treated to a particularly special kind of eclipse.

Technically, it’s called an annular eclipse, but most people know it as the “Ring of Fire.”

Unlike a regular solar eclipse , an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in between the Sun and the Earth, but is too far from Earth to completely block out the sun. The resulting “ring of fire” spectacle is an amazing sight.

Eclipse or no eclipse, looking directly into the sun without protection will still damage your eyes. Astronomers cautioned amateur viewers to use specialized eye protection when looking directly at the sun. Here’s ABC .

“You can take a pair of glasses, made specifically for eclipses, and you put those on, and they will protect your eyes.”

Sunday’s “Ring of Fire” was the first eclipse of 2012, and people documented the event in typical 21st century fashion.

Hundreds of eclipse pictures and videos flooded social networks, to the point where some people were viewing the eclipse from their computer screen.

For more conventional viewers, the eclipse was a social event as well. On the evening of the eclipse, excited watchers gathered in massive ‘eclipse parties’ to observe this rare astronomical event. CNN says the anticipation was palpable.

“To be here for a solar eclipse is like--I mean, look at this! Is this not the greatest thing in the world?!”

The next annular eclipse in this series is scheduled for June 1st, 2030.