South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse

PUERTO SAN JULIAN

Skygazers on the tip of South America were treated Wednesday to a spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse that was visible from Chile's Easter Island before heading to mainland Patagonia.

The rare spectacle,which happens when the Sun momentarily all but disappears as the Moon crosses its path, drew dozens of tourists, photographers and astronomy enthusiasts to the Pacific island of 7,000 inhabitants.

There, they pointed their lenses at a partly cloudy sky against the backdrop of the "moais" — the giant statues iconic of Easter Island, long inhabited by Polynesian people.

A so-called annular solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun line up.

Even when perfectly aligned, the Moon is too far from Earth to completely block out the Sun, creating instead the impression of a fiery ring.

At first, it appears as if a bite has been taken out of the Sun. The bite grows bigger and bigger until the Moon moves directly in line with the Sun, at which point people nearby usually notice a distinct drop in temperature and brightness but for the ring.

Lasting more than three hours from about 17:00 to 20:30 GMT, according to NASA, it was to finish over the Atlantic.

A partial eclipse would be visible from Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, parts of Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand and several islands in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, NASA said.