A ‘Ring Of Fire’ Eclipse Will Blaze Across The Sky Next Week

It burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire ― eclipse, if you look directly at it! So don’t do that. 

An annular solar eclipse, also known as a “ring of fire” eclipse, will occur on June 10, NASA announced. That means that the moon will move between the Earth and the sun, but the moon will be far enough away from Earth that it won’t completely block the sun. Instead, it will look like a dark circle inside a bright disc ― hence the “ring of fire” moniker.

Unfortunately for those who don’t dwell in the far north, the spectacle will only be visible to people in parts of Canada, Greenland and northern Russia. However, some other locations ― including the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and northern Alaska in the U.S. ― will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse, meaning that the moon will cast a partial shadow over the sun, it just won’t be a perfect ring.

NASA noted that in many of these places, the eclipse will happen “before, during, and shortly after sunrise,” but the space agency has also made an interactive map where you can check out when it will be visible in a particular area.

This is probably as good a time as any to mention that you should never look directly at the sun, because doing so can cause permanent eye damage. You can learn more about how to view an eclipse safely here.