KEY POINTS

  • People across the northern hemisphere witnessed the "ring of fire" eclipse
  • A satellite in space caught the moon's shadow passing over North America
  • Many shared images of the sky event online

A spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse graced the skies in some parts of the world Thursday. Many people shared images of the sky event on social media.

Sky watchers in the northern hemisphere caught a glimpse of the annular solar eclipse. Even a satellite was able to spot the spectacle from space. A video shared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the eclipse "from a different perspective," as captured by the GOES-East Satellite.

In the short footage, one can see the dark shadow pass over North America. Another satellite view of the eclipse was shared by Space.com, showing the shadow of the moon on the Earth.

Interestingly, it was also a GOES satellite that captured incredible views of the 2020 solar eclipse from space.

Those who didn't get to witness the event, whether because it was too cloudy or they simply missed it, need not worry as many people have shared their stunning views of the eclipse online. In parts of the U.S., for instance, many even woke up early just to see it as the sun was rising.

One online user shared an image of the eclipse showing the sun behind the Statue of Liberty. The sun had a crescent shape as it was partially covered by the moon.

Another view shows a stunning view of the eclipsed, rising sun. NASA also shared images of the eclipse from the East Coast.

Denis Laurin, a space astronomy scientist at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), captured rather eerie views of the eclipse, while another Twitter user even shared an incredible timelapse of the event.

An annular eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. But since the moon is farther away from the Earth and thus looks smaller, it doesn't block the entire sun and instead just causes a "ring of fire."

This isn't the last eclipse for 2021, as a partial eclipse of the moon will be visible from North America and Hawaii on Nov. 19. A total solar eclipse will also happen on Dec. 4, although it won't be visible in North America. It could be seen from places like the Falkland Islands and Antarctica.

Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is not close enough to Earth to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible
Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is not close enough to Earth to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / DAVID MCNEW
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