A rare 'ring of fire' eclipse is set to take place this week and won't be seen again until 2046.
Officially known as the annular solar eclipse, this rare phenomenon will take place on October 14 and be visible across the skies of North, Central, and South America.
The annular solar eclipse is similar to a total eclipse but occurs when the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so is unable to completely block out the sun, earning its 'ring of fire' nickname due to the sun's light surrounding the moon's shadow.
Given that it happens so infrequently, it's not one to miss - so here is how you can give yourself the best chance to see it, and do so safely.
Of course, when attempting to view any solar eclipse, one must never look directly at the sun because that can cause serious and irreversible eye damage.
Those wishing to view the moon moving in front of the sun can buy specialized eclipse glasses if they want to watch it by looking up, otherwise, a simple pinhole viewer- with a hole cut into a piece of card - can project the eclipse onto a surface safely without looking directly at it.
Those with telescopes or binoculars also mustn't point these directly at the sun unless they have a special solar filter fitted on the lens to protect the viewer's eye.
Regular sunglasses do not offer protection against the sun's harsh rays and you should never use these to look directly at it.
Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA, told CNN: "The next annular eclipse seen in this part of the country is actually going to be in 2046.
"It’s going to be a long stretch before we will see this phenomenon again, so we’re really encouraging folks to go out there and observe safely."
The annular solar eclipse will begin in the United States at 9:13AM PT (12:13PM ET) and will go from the Oregon coast to Texas's Gulf Coast, and will be visible in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona, before ending in the US at 12:03PM CT (1:03PM ET).
It will then cross Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia before ending off South America’s Atlantic coast at Natal, Brazil.
Providing there is good weather, a partial solar eclipse - appearing as a crescent shape - will be visible in all 49 states on October 14, including Alaska.
NASA's interactive eclipse map will help viewers to follow when the eclipse will pass over their location, and a live-stream will also air for those unable to catch it in their location, beginning at 11.30AM ET showing the views from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kirbyville, Texas, and White Sands, New Mexico.
Skygazers will see the moon slowly move across the sun, initially creating a crescent-shaped partial eclipse, taking an hour and 20 minutes to move directly in front of the sun.
Once aligned with the sun, the ring of fire - known as annularity - will begin, lasting between one and five minutes depending on where it is observed from. During this time, people may notice the sky get darker and the temperature drop until the moon moves back out from in front of the sun.
.png_II23cD?tr=h-184)
