Stunning animation shows the Moon casting a shadow over Earth during the 'ring of fire' eclipse

  • The 'ring of fire’ eclipse occurred over Southern Hemisphere last Sunday
  • NASA has revealed stunning satellite images that show the shadow it cast
  • Eclipse created what appears like a large ink-blotch just off of South America

By CHEYENNE MACDONALD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

Last week, an eerie ‘ring of fire’ rose over the Southern Hemisphere as the moon passed in front of the sun in an annular solar eclipse.

Stunning footage from space now reveals the phenomenon cast a shadow over Earth’s surface.

Images from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer show the massive shadow as the moon blocked sunlight over the Atlantic Ocean, creating what appears like a large ink-blotch just off the coast of South America. 

The animation from NASA’s DSCOVR Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera shows what this phenomenon looked like from space

'RING OF FIRE' ECLIPSE

While other eclipses see the moon temporarily block the sun's light completely, in an annular eclipse the moon is too far from Earth.

This means it's positioned perfectly to allow a ring of light or 'fire' to burst through - to spectacular effect.

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The annular eclipse was visible from the southern tip of South America all the way to southern Africa.

In one of these events, the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the light – but, at this distance, it doesn’t obscure it completely.

This creates the appearance of a ‘ring of fire.’

An animation from NASA’s DSCOVR Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera shows what this phenomenon looked like from space.

While most of Earth appears normal, the waters between South America and Africa are marred by a large shadow.

While most of Earth appears normal, the waters between South America and Africa are marred by a large shadow. As seen in the animation, the clouds and surface below appear yellow-ish brown

Last week, an eerie ‘ring of fire’ rose over the Southern Hemisphere as the moon passed in front of the sun in an annular solar eclipse. Stunning footage from space now reveals the phenomenon cast a shadow over Earth’s surface

Last week, an eerie ‘ring of fire’ rose over the Southern Hemisphere as the moon passed in front of the sun in an annular solar eclipse. Stunning footage from space now reveals the phenomenon cast a shadow over Earth’s surface

Different views from the satellites show the shadow’s movement across the area.

An image from the Terra satellite caught the phenomenon over Patagonia at around 13:20 Universal Time (10:20 a.m. local time) on Feb. 26. 2017.

The surface and clouds beneath the huge shadow appear to be yellow-ish brown.

And, another view from the Aqua satellite shows the event over the South Atlantic Ocean at around 15:55 UT (12:55 p.m. local time).

An image from the Terra satellite caught the phenomenon over Patagonia at around 13:20 Universal Time (10:20 a.m. local time) on Feb. 26. 2017. The surface and clouds beneath the huge shadow appear to be yellow-ish brown

An image from the Terra satellite caught the phenomenon over Patagonia at around 13:20 Universal Time (10:20 a.m. local time) on Feb. 26. 2017. The surface and clouds beneath the huge shadow appear to be yellow-ish brown

Another view from the Aqua satellite shows the event over the South Atlantic Ocean at around 15:55 UT (12:55 p.m. local time). Stargazers in South America were treated to the rare event on Sunday

Another view from the Aqua satellite shows the event over the South Atlantic Ocean at around 15:55 UT (12:55 p.m. local time). Stargazers in South America were treated to the rare event on Sunday

Stargazers in South America were treated to the rare event on Sunday.

Stunning pictures from Brazil and Chile show the moon coming between the Earth and the sun to create the spectacular ‘ring of fire.’

More than half a billion people across the world had the opportunity to see the annular eclipse, which first passed through, Chile and Argentina before moving across the South Atlantic Ocean to Africa.

The moment of greatest eclipse occurred midway between the two continents at just before 10am ET (3pm GMT) when the moon covered more than 99 per cent of the sun.

More than half a billion people across the world had the opportunity to see the annular eclipse, which first passed through, Chile and Argentina before moving across the South Atlantic Ocean to Africa. The composite image shows the progression of  the annular eclipse

More than half a billion people across the world had the opportunity to see the annular eclipse, which first passed through, Chile and Argentina before moving across the South Atlantic Ocean to Africa. The composite image shows the progression of  the annular eclipse

These stunning pictures from Brazil and Chile show the moon coming between the Earth and the Sun, blocking most light of its light save for a 'ring of fire' around the moon. This picture was taken in Coyhaique, Chile

These stunning pictures from Brazil and Chile show the moon coming between the Earth and the Sun, blocking most light of its light save for a 'ring of fire' around the moon. This picture was taken in Coyhaique, Chile

It ended just afte 5:30 p.m. GMT on Sunday in southern Africa - between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Later this year, the moon will completely block out the sun, in a total solar eclipse.

This will take place on August 21, 2017, and will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. 

WHY ARE THESE COSMIC DISPLAYS SO RARE?

They have often been seen as a sign of an impending apocalypse or the anger of the gods, but the real reason for the erratic occurrence of solar eclipses on Earth may finally have been solved. 

Researchers recently unravelled the mystery of why our Moon has a strange orbital tilt which causes it to pass between our planet and the Sun to cause an eclipse only occasionally. 

They claim the Moon was jostled into its current position through a series of close encounters with large lumps of debris left over from the formation of the inner planets 4.5 billion years ago. 

The satellites of most other planets tend to orbit in a path that is in line with the parent planet's equator. 

If the Moon orbited our own planet in a similar way, we would likely experience monthly solar eclipses as it passes between the Earth and the sun. 

However, the moon orbits at an angle of 5 degrees off the Earth's own orbital plane around the sun and spins on an axis that is actually tilted towards our own planet. 

This results in a far less regular solar eclipses.

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