For those who are interested and not already aware, today there is going to be an annular eclipse. In British Columbia, Canada (where I live) it will start sometime around 5:00pm and run to sometime before 7:00pm. (Check the exact times on various websites, or with a quick Google search, but since it depends on your exact location I haven't bothered giving precise times).

Most people probably already know what a total eclipse is. When the moon is directly between our location on Earth and the Sun, then the shadow of the moon darkens the day for a span of time and everyone stares at it in amazement (which you should never do since the Sun is really bright and will burn out your eyes.).

But in this case, the moon is at its furthest point away from the Earth, and so the Sun will not be completely blocked. The moon is too small and too far from Earth to actually cover the entire visible disc of the Sun. What will be seen instead is a glowing ring around a dark center, sometimes referred to as the “ring of fire”.

It is worth a look if you are careful not to blind yourself. I don't recall an annular eclipse being visible locally for around twenty years or so, so this really is a rare event. And if the weather clears up a bit, it could be a fun time!