- Trump 'resorted to crimes' to overturn 2020 election: special counsel
- Tigers and Royals complete sweeps to advance in MLB playoffs
- Australia's most capped footballer Polkinghorne to retire
- Emery masterminds 'statement' Champions League win for Aston Villa
- Ancelotti holds hands up as Real Madrid's long unbeaten run ends
- Juventus played like a team 'possessed', says Vlahovic
- US urgently tries to shape Israel's response to Iran
- Tigers sweep Astros to advance in MLB playoffs
- Dodgers say pitching icon Valenzuela 'focusing on health'
- Conceicao stunner nets 10-man Juventus win at Leipzig
- Aston Villa stun Bayern in repeat of 1982 European Cup final
- Rampant Benfica smash Simeone's absent Atletico
- David strikes as Lille claim Real Madrid scalp in Champions League
- Slot makes Liverpool history as Reds beat Bologna
- Biden, Harris tour areas slammed by major storm
- Doctor who provided Matthew Perry's drugs pleads guilty
- South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
- Calf injury slows Doncic as Mavs launch training camp
- Biden official says port strike deal not as far as parties think
- Knicks get Towns from T-wolves for Randle in major NBA deal
- Leicester coach Cheika handed ban for 'disrespecting' doctor
- Jewish pilgrims journey to Ukraine, from one war to another
- Mexico's new president offers apology for 1968 student massacre
- Man Utd start no cause to 'panic' says under-fire Ten Hag
- Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion
- More own goal agony as Girona tumble against Feyenoord
- South Africa trounce Ireland by 139 runs in first ODI
- Biden, Harris travel to areas slammed by 'historic' Hurricane Helene
- Mixed US car sales in Q3 as industry hopes for post-election bounce
- Spurs star Maddison eyes return to England squad
- French luxury goods giant LVMH in F1 sponsorship deal
- Juve's injury-hit Milik undergoes more knee surgery
- Pochettino gives chance to USA squad to prove their worth
- NBA legend Jordan files anti-trust lawsuit against NASCAR
- Bridgestone latest Japanese firm to end Olympics sponsorship
- Thunderstorms are a 'boiling pot' of gamma rays, scientists find
- McIlroy hopeful golf's civil war will be over by end of 2024
- Buttler returns as England captain for West Indies tour
- Macron backs Chinese EV tariffs as Scholz calls for dialogue
- Study reveals long-term death toll of cyclones as world battered
- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
- Russia opens 'extremist' trial of four independent journalists
- Alcaraz 'got the joy back' after dramatic Beijing title win
- How will Israel react to Iranian missile attack?
- British jets 'played their part' in defending Israel: UK
- Carter beloved in hometown, but many voting for Trump
- Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
- US private sector adds more jobs than expected in September: ADP
- Israel, Hezbollah in deadly fighting on Lebanon border
RBGPF | -2.18% | 59.5 | $ | |
BCC | -1.33% | 139.53 | $ | |
SCS | -2.56% | 12.87 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.04% | 24.93 | $ | |
NGG | -1.85% | 68.78 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.78 | $ | |
BCE | -1.13% | 34.44 | $ | |
JRI | -1.12% | 13.38 | $ | |
RIO | -0.48% | 70.82 | $ | |
GSK | -2.15% | 39.45 | $ | |
RELX | -0.11% | 47.29 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.43% | 6.9 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 32.37 | $ | |
VOD | -2.16% | 9.74 | $ | |
AZN | 1.14% | 79.58 | $ |
South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
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.
"It was a mini sunset," 55-year-old Ninoska Huki told AFP of the "sublime" experience that hit the island shortly after noon local time.
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.
As the day darkens, birds and animals sometimes enter a night-time routine, thinking sunset is near.
Full "annularity," the moment of the peak "ring," lasted about six minutes with Wednesday's eclipse, which began in the North Pacific before passing over the Andes and Patagonia regions of Latin America.
Lasting more than three hours from about 1700 to 2030 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.
- Patagonian path -
On the southern tip of Argentina, people braved icy cold and windy weather to gather in the small Patagonian town of Puerto San Julian to observe the phenomenon from an esplanade facing the beach.
Retired teacher Julio Fernandez, 58, brought a telescope "so the children can see, because not many" ever get the chance.
Classes in the town were suspended for children to partake in the rare event.
The only safe methods to observe a "ring of fire" eclipse, according to experts, involve certified special glasses, or watching indirectly through a pinhole in a cardboard sheet projecting the image onto something else.
The next partial solar eclipse will take place on March 29, 2025, visible mainly from western North America, Europe and northwest Africa.
A.S.Diogo--PC