On Oct. 2, an annular solar eclipse will be visible along a wide path that spans the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island, and southern South America.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon drifts in front of the sun while it's slightly farther from Earth than during a total solar eclipse, so it doesn't completely cover the sun's disk. Instead the moon only partially obscures the sun's disk, leaving a vivid ring of light around it, hence why an annular solar eclipse is also known as a "ring of fire" solar eclipse.
