South Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2A satellite has shared breathtaking footage of the annular solar eclipse, popularly called the “ring of fire”, which swept across Antarctica on February 17.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, but is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because of this distance, the Moon doesn’t completely cover the Sun, leaving a bright ring visible around its edges — creating the “ring of fire” effect.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellites shared the footage on X, saying: “You’ll want to see this without a shadow of a doubt! South Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-2A geostationary satellite caught the #AnnularEclipse that passed over Antarctica this morning. In this animation, you can see the Moon’s dark shadow quickly moving across the bottom left of the globe.”
The video clearly shows the Moon’s shadow gliding over Antarctica, providing a rare and mesmerizing view of this celestial event from space. Scientists and space enthusiasts say such satellite footage helps study the Sun, Moon, and Earth’s interaction while giving everyone on Earth a chance to witness this spectacular phenomenon.