Annulaarsäte

Annulaarsäte, also known as annular solar eclipse, is a type of solar eclipse that occurs when the Moon is too far from the Earth to completely block the Sun. This happens because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is not perfectly circular but elliptical. When the Moon is at its apogee, its furthest point from Earth, it appears smaller in the sky. If an eclipse occurs at this time, the Moon will not be large enough to cover the entire solar disk. Instead, a ring of sunlight, or annulus, remains visible around the dark silhouette of the Moon.

During an annular eclipse, observers in the path of annularity can see the Moon positioned directly in front of the Sun, but with a bright ring of solar surface visible around its edges. The duration of annularity is typically shorter than a total solar eclipse, lasting only a few minutes at its peak. The path of annularity is a narrow band across the Earth's surface, and regions outside this path may experience a partial solar eclipse, where only a portion of the Sun is obscured.

Annular eclipses are safe to view with proper eye protection, just like any other solar eclipse. It is crucial to use certified eclipse glasses or solar viewers to prevent serious eye damage. Unlike total solar eclipses, the Sun's corona is not visible during an annular eclipse because the bright annulus of sunlight obscures it. Nevertheless, annular solar eclipses are spectacular astronomical events that offer a unique perspective on the Sun-Moon-Earth alignment.