TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Saturday, a rare solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the United States. This occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, and it blocks most of the sun’s rays.

In the swath of the country where the moon will pass completely in front of the sun, they’ll see what’s known as the “ring of fire” as the sun’s rays only show around the moon’s outer rim. This is called an annular eclipse.

The “ring of fire” eclipse will be visible from parts of Oregon through Utah, New Mexico and Texas.

For Tampa Bay, the moon will cover about 67% of the sun’s rays at 1:25 p.m. Saturday. Oct. 14. Be sure to only view the eclipse with the proper solar glasses that protect your eyes from damaging solar rays. 

This event is not called a Total Solar Eclipse because the moon will be just far enough away from the Earth that it doesn’t appear large enough to completely block the sun’s disk.

A Total Solar Eclipse will be visible for parts of the country on April 8, 2024. The next solar eclipse visible in the U.S. will be in 2045.