May 21, 2012

The western region of the United States and other countries along the Pacific rim caught a glimpse of the first solar eclipse of the year on Sunday. While, 2011 saw a handful of partial solar eclipses, spectators got to see what’s called an annular eclipse, or a so-called “ring of fire.” This occurs when the moon, appearing slightly smaller than the sun, passes before it to create an annulus, or ring, in the sky.

: A man uses solar film over the lens of his electronic device to photograph the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 on May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)

: An annular eclipse is seen in Ciudad Juarez May 20, 2012. The sun and moon aligned over the earth in a rare astronomical event – an annular eclipse that dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, briefly turning the sun into a blazing ring of fire. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

: A woman checks her smart phone while watching the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 with special glasses to protect her eyes on May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)

: The moon passes between the sun and the earth behind a windmill near Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

: Amy Patterson sells glasses to view the annular eclipse in Kanarraville, Utah. The tiny town of Kanarraville, 40 miles north of St George and 263 miles south of Salt Lake City, marketed the town’s”sweet spot” location where an almost perfect annular eclipse could be seen bringing visitors and vendors to their solar eclipse viewing “party.” Kanarraville is a town in Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 311 at the 2000 census. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: People watch as a rare annular eclipse dims the sky, as the sun and moon align for “ring of fire” spectacle over the southwestern town of Kanarraville, Utah, May 20, 2012. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

: Aaron Peck, 4, watches the annular eclipse in Kanarraville, Utah. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: The moon passes between the sun and the earth over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour during a solar eclipse seen from the Peak on Hong Kong Island May 21, 2012. (Bobby Yip/Reuters)

: Amaleah Barker wears a welding mask as a rare annular eclipse dims the sky, as the sun and moon align for “ring of fire” spectacle over the southwestern town of Kanarraville, Utah. Eclipses of some type occur almost every year, but stargazers have not seen an annular – shaped like a ring – eclipse on U.S. soil since 1994, and the next one is not to occur until 2023. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

: A partial eclipse is seen in Manila May 21, 2012. (Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters)

: Cici Anderson views the solar by projecting a pinhole image of it through a piece of tin foil on to a paper, at the Discover Center in Fresno, California, Sunday evening, May 20, 2012. (John Walker/Fresno Bee/MCT)

: A helicopter returning from the Sunflower wildfire passes in front of the solar eclipse over Payson, Arizona. The largest of four Arizona fires, the Sunflower Fire, was all but extinguished and resources were being assigned to the other fires. (Jeff Robbins/Reuters)

: Peggy Pennington watches the annular eclipse with her dogs Sasha (R) and Foxy Lady (L), in Kanarraville, Utah. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: A partial eclipse is seen from a camera reflection behind a pickup near Flagstaff, Arizona. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

: A tourist watches an annular eclipse through a solar viewer in Monument Valley Tribal Park in Utah. (Gene Blevins/Reuters)

: The moon appears to cover the sun during an annular eclipse of the sun May 20, 2012 as seen over the Pueblo Bonito ancient building at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

: People watch as an eclipse reaches annularity as the moon passes before the sun in the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 on May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)

: An annular eclipse is seen at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Utah May 20, 2012. (Gene Blevins/Reuters)

: Dennis Vitt, 38, looks at an annular eclipse through a welding mask in Los Angeles, California May 20, 2012. The sun and moon aligned over the earth in a rare astronomical event – an annular eclipse that dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, briefly turning the sun into a blazing ring of fire. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

: Will Bowen (R), 29, of St George, Utah reacts to the perfect “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse in Kanarraville, Utah. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: An eclipse is seen near the Oriental Pearl Tower at the Bund along the Huangpu River in Shanghai May 21, 2012. (Aly Song/Reuters)

: Andre Paulsen, 7, watches the solar eclipse in Kanarraville, Utah. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: The moon passes between the sun and the earth during a solar eclipse seen from Victory Park in Pasadena, California. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

: Astronomers watch the annular eclipse through eclipse-viewers in Taipei on May 21, 2012. (Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images)

: An annular eclipse is seen at Monument Valley Tribal Park in Utah. (Gene Blevins.Reuters)

: Ruth Ann Smith checks the size on a tee shirt celebrating the annular eclipse in Kanarraville, Utah. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

: A partial annular solar eclipse is seen from the coast of Xiamen, in China’s southeast province of Fujian on May 21, 2012. (AFP Photo/AFP/Getty Images)

: A girl with her mother observe a solar eclipse, focused onto a white background through a telescope, at Takayama village in Gunma prefecture, north of Tokyo on May 21, 2012. (Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images)

: A composite of images of the first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 shows several stages, left to right, as the eclipse passes through annularity and the sun changes color as it approaches sunset on May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)

: The first annular eclipse seen in the U.S. since 1994 wanes to a partial eclipse as the sun sets on May 20, 2012 in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. (David McNew/Getty Images)

: A child looks at projections produced during an eclipse at Taipei Astronomical Museum May 21, 2012. The Chinese characters read, “Taipei.” (Pichi Chuang/Reuters)