'Ring of fire' solar eclipse fascinates American spectators

DALLAS: Spectators across the United States witnessed the "ring of fire" beamed in the sky with the solar eclipse beginning at 12:13pm on Saturday.

The public across 48 states in the US, including Alaska, was able to watch the celestial event unfold while wearing special glasses.

The viewing of the "ring of fire" came as a splendid sight, even though the solar eclipse was not completely visible with just over 80% coverage.

The eclipse was visible on its path from Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through states such as Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. It was also seen in parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona. The eclipse ended at 12:03am in the US.

Completing its time in the US, the eclipse was then expected to pass through Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama and Colombia. It eventually concluded over the coast of South America in Natal, Brazil.

Informing the American people about the eclipse, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) had already warned them to not look directly at the sun, as it is unsafe. It advised they wear "specialised eye protection designed for solar viewing".

Educating about the annular eclipse, Nasa said: "This event occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but appears too small to completely cover the Sun’s surface — resulting in what appears as a ring of fire in the sky."

"Everyone in the contiguous 48 states will have the opportunity to see at least a partial eclipse," it added.