In a solar eclipse when the moon’s shadow hides all but an outer ring, we see the ring of fire. What is the type of eclipse when we see this?

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun’s center, leaving the Sun’s visible outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus around the Moon.

The name “annular” comes from the Latin word for ring, “annulus.” These eclipses are named for their darkest, or maximum, point even if it only lasts less than a second. If the characteristic ring of fire is visible from even just one location, the whole eclipse is called an annular solar eclipse.

However, in most places and for most of the duration, an annular eclipse looks like a partial solar eclipse. This is also the case for total solar eclipses and for the rare hybrid solar eclipses which have an annular maximum point in some locations and a total maximum point in other locations.

Picture Credit : Google

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