DENVER — A breathtaking and rare show happened in the sky above Colorado as a "ring of fire" eclipsed the sun Saturday morning.
Watch the eclipse from NASA in the player below:
It's been 11 years since we've seen an annular eclipse, and we are going to get a really good view of it here in Colorado.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth. Because the moon is farther away from earth, it appears smaller than the sun and does not completely cover our star. This creates what is known as a “ring of fire” effect in the sky.
Weather-wise, we'll see mostly sunny skies with temps during the viewing time starting out in the upper 30s and then warming in the lower 40s.
Most parts of Colorado, including Denver, did not see that " Ring of Fire". However, we were able to see about 82% of the sun, covered by the moon. Areas in southwest Colorado, like the Four Corners and nearby cities like Albuquerque or Santa Fe, N.M., were in the direct path of the eclipse.
The eclipse is generating a lot of excitement. And, because of that, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is warning drivers about extra traffic, especially along the Highway 160 Corridor.
In Colorado, the eclipse began at 9:14 a.m., with the maximum eclipse coverage of about 82% happening at 10:36 a.m. It all came to an end at 12:06 pm.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science had telescopes on hand for the public to watch the eclipse safely.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
