‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse 2021: Path, viewing maps and photo guide
The first solar eclipse of the year arrives Thursday (June 10), when the moon will pass in front of the sun and create the illusion of a “ring of fire” in the sky in northern Canada, Greenland and the Arctic. Other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, in the United States, Europe and Asia, will be able to see a partial eclipse.
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Unlike a “ring of fire” or annular eclipse, the moon does not pass directly across the center of the sun’s disk during a partial eclipse. Rather, the moon will appear to take a “bite” out of the sun, with the size of that bite depending on how far the observer is from the path of annularity.
You can find maps, diagrams and animations of Thursday’s eclipse in the slideshow below — and check back here during and after the eclipse for photos of the big event!
This map of the eclipse path shows where the June 10, 2021, annular and partial solar eclipse will occur.
Skywatchers in much of central and eastern North America, as well as parts of Europe and Africa, will see a partial solar eclipse, but the “ring of fire” effect will be limited to a narrow and scarcely-populated slice of land in central and eastern Canada.
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(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)
A composite of images of an annular solar eclipse shows several stages, left to right, as the moon passes in front of the sun.
The solar eclipse on June 10 will begin at 4:12 a.m. EDT (0812 GMT), when the moon will first appear to make contact with the sun from Earth’s perspective. A “ring of fire” will become visible along the path of annularity at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT), with the moment of maximum eclipse occurring at 6:41 a.m. EDT (1041 GMT).
Annular eclipses are similar to total solar eclipses, but the key difference is that the moon will not completely cover the sun. This happens because the moon’s distance from Earth is not constant; its orbit is an imperfect circle. When the moon is farther from Earth, it appears smaller in the sky than it does when it is closer to Earth.
Because some of the sun’s disk glows around the moon’s edge, annular eclipses should never be observed without proper eye protection.
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(Image credit: Dale Cruishank/NASA)
A visualization of an annular solar eclipse.
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(Image credit: A.T. Sinclar/NASA GSFC)
A NASA animation of the annular solar eclipse’s predicted path on June 10, 2021.
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(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The partial solar eclipse is visible primarily in the Northeast U.S. and Canada, plus Northwest Europe. A small strip across Eastern Canada will experience it as an annular eclipse.
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(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
This map shows how the partial solar eclipse of June 10, 2021 will appear from cities in North America, where the eclipse will happen at sunrise.
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(Image credit: Future)
Table showing timing of the June 10, 2021 solar eclipse from various locations.
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(Image credit: Future)
Table showing timing of the June 10, 2021 solar eclipse from various locations in Europe and Africa.
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(Image credit: Fred Espenak/NASA)
A NASA map of the path of the June 10, 2021 annular solar eclipse shows the journey it will take across Earth’s northernmost regions.
