A 'ring of fire' solar eclipse is happening today

Parts of South America will see an annular 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

Some parts of South America will witness a very special sight in the sky today.

An incredible "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse will be visible on Wednesday afternoon.

Southern Chile and Argentina will see a glowing ring of the Sun as the Moon passes in front of it, while much of South America and those in the Falklands Islands will see a partial solar eclipse.

Sadly, the solar eclipse won't be visible in the United Kingdom.

What is an annular solar eclipse?

An annular eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth.

The Moon is at its furthest point away from Earth.

This means that even if it's blocking the Sun centrally, some of it can still be seen, making it appear smaller than the giant star.

This leaves the outer ring of the Sun still visible.

What's the difference between an annular solar eclipse, a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse?

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon only covers part of the Sun

Solar eclipses occur when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, so it blocks the Sun's light.

However, solar eclipses have different names, depending on how much of the Sun is blocked.

In a total eclipse, the whole disc of the Sun is covered, casting a shadow on the Earth.

With a partial solar eclipse, on the other hand, the Moon only covers part of the Sun.

This happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth aren't perfectly in line with one another. It can often look like the Moon is 'taking a small bite' out of the Sun.

Will the annular eclipse be visible from the UK?

This month's annular eclipse won't be visible from the UK.

It's because the Moon is much smaller than the Earth, which means its shadow only covers a small area of the Earth's surface.

This also means a solar eclipse will only be visible from a certain region on Earth.

People in the UK wanting to see a total solar eclipse will have to wait a while. The next one won't be seen until 2090!

However, the next partial solar eclipse that will be visible here can be seen a lot sooner.

It'll be on 29 March 2025, and around 30-40% of the Sun will be in shadow.

How can you safely watch an eclipse?

These children in Costa Rica witnessed a spectacular annular eclipse last year

The number one tip to remember is to never look directly at the Sun.

Doing so is very dangerous as it can permanently damage your eyes.

If you want to view an eclipse, sunglasses also aren't suitable.

Instead, you can ask your parent, guardian, or trusted adult about special protective eclipse glasses.

These glasses are different from sunglasses as they block all light entirely except that coming from the Sun.

Another way you can witness an eclipse without looking directly at the Sun is by creating a pinhole projector.

You can make one by piercing a hole using a pin into a piece of paper or card. With your back to the Sun, hold the paper above your shoulder so the Sun's rays can shine through that small hole.

At the same time, hold up another piece of paper in front of you.

This will act like a screen and you'll be able to see a reversed image of the Sun projected on the paper.