The Ring of Fire

The heavens proclaim the glory of God!

This weekend, we had a big event in Texas. There was an annular solar eclipse. I love all things related to space (rockets, planets, stars, etc.), but I have to confess that I had never heard of an annular solar eclipse before this month. Sure, I knew what a solar eclipse, and even a lunar eclipse were, but not an annular solar eclipse. That was new. No, not an annual eclipse, as in yearly. An annular eclipse, as in shaped like a ring.

For those of you that are still in the dark about eclipses, a solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth and the moon casts a shadow on the earth.

Now, it turns out that the moon’s orbit around the earth is elliptical, not circular. In fact, all orbits are to a lesser or greater extent elliptical. All the planets around the sun, moons around planets, etc. have elliptical orbits. And planet(!) Pluto has a notoriously large elliptical orbit that even brings it inside the orbit of Neptune at some points. But getting back to Earth’s moon, this means that sometimes the moon is farther away from the earth and sometimes it is closer.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is closer to earth and blocks out the whole of the sun. If you hold your thumb up in front of one eye and move it in and out, you’ll see that it blocks more of your vision when it’s closer to your eye.

If you hold your thumb out at arm’s length, however, it will not block as much of your vision. That’s what happens with an annular eclipse. The moon is further away, so it doesn’t block the whole of the sun, creating a “ring of fire” around the moon instead of a total solar eclipse.

The 2023 annular solar eclipse, shot with an iPhone 14 camera covered by “eclipse glasses.”

Depending on where you are located on the earth, you may see a full or partial eclipse, or nothing at all. It all depends on where the shadow falls. In this case, we were fortunate that the eclipse went right through central Texas. In fact, it went directly through Kerrville, Texas, where my sister-in-law and brother-in-law live. My brother-in-law is an avid astronomy fan and invited us to come to their house to experience the full effect.

The picture above was shot on my iPhone 14. My brother-in-law had gotten a bunch of “eclipse glasses” that block out nearly all light but allow you to look directly at the sun (DO NOT DO THIS WITH ORDINARY SUNGLASSES; you will go blind). When you’re wearing eclipse glasses, you can’t see anything around you. It’s a complete black out. Unless you look at the sun. Then, you can see the sun and only the sun.

To prevent my phone camera chip from being overloaded, I put the eclipse glasses in front of my camera lens and snapped the picture.

Overall, this was one of the coolest things I have seen in my life. I had seen partial solar eclipses a couple of times, but never a full eclipse. And I had never heard of an annular solar eclipse, so that was new for me, too. The ring of fire that it created was just amazing.

Kerrville is blessed in 2023 and 2024. Just last weekend it had a full annular eclipse, and in April, 2024, it’s going to have a full solar eclipse. Pretty amazing to have two full eclipses within 6 months of each other. Hotel rooms in Kerrville are already sold out for the next one.

Anyway, this natural phenomenon reminds me of how perfectly the world is created. Did you knew that scientists didn’t know much about the sun’s corona until they were able to study it during solar eclipses? The sun is so bright, it was just impossible to look directly at it or take pictures of it with any high resolution. Unless, that is, something just the right size was able to blot it out. How convenient that God created a moon that is just the right size and in just the right orbit to obscure the sun perfectly. Maybe you believe in coincidences, but I don’t.

As David says in Psalm 19, the heavens really do proclaim the glory of God.

Psalm 19

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³ They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
⁵ It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
    It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
⁶ The sun rises at one end of the heavens
    and follows its course to the other end.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

⁷ The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving insight for living.
⁹ Reverence for the Lord is pure,
    lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
    each one is fair.
¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold,
    even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
    even honey dripping from the comb.
¹¹ They are a warning to your servant,
    a great reward for those who obey them.

¹² How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19 (NLT)

Today’s Prayer

Holy Father, thank you for your amazing creation. Everywhere we look, we see your handiwork, your divine plan. The heavens declare your glory! They display your craftsmanship. They declare your existence and your character in their magnificent beauty. Amen.

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