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A new image from NASA shows a recent moment when millions of Americans stopped to check out the sun — using proper precautions to protect their eyes, of course.
An annular solar eclipse occurred on Oct. 14 and Americans across the country were in the direct line of crossing.
NASA released an image of the Earth just as the moon was passing in front of the sun.
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This moment, also known as an annular solar eclipse, was captured when the moon’s shadow crossed North America.
The image was acquired by NASA’s EPIC imager, which is aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory — a joint NASA, NOAA and U.S. Air Force satellite, as NASA reported.
The eclipse was captured from space — it shows North America completely covered in darkness. (NASA/DSCOVR EPIC)
The picture was taken at a point between the sun and the Earth, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, according to NASA.
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The image captured the moon at or near its furthest distance from Earth — with NASA noting that it makes the moon look smaller in the sky than it really is.
The map shows the dark path of annularity that occurred on Oct. 14, 2023, according to NASA. (NASA/Michala Garrison)
The annular eclipse is sometimes referred to as the "ring of fire," as it can create a "sliver of sun in the shape of a ring" for those who are in the right place at the right time, as National Geographic editor and space expert Allie Yang told Fox News Digital ahead of the occurrence.
The significance with this particular annular eclipse was that the path crossed the U.S. — something that hasn’t happened since 2012, according to Yang.
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NASA reported that the October 2023 eclipse began around 9:13 Pacific Daylight Time in Oregon before moving southeast.
Annular solar eclipses (one seen here in 2010 in Qingdao, China) are special because the moon appears smaller than the sun when they overlap, creating a "ring of fire" at the right time and place. (Visual China Group/Getty Images)
The eclipse itself was visible in the U.S. — specifically in the states of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona.
The full eclipse shadow from the moon took place at 11:58 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Oct. 14, 2023, and was visible by those using specific eyewear.
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The next scheduled occurrence in the U.S. is on June 21, 2039 — but a total solar eclipse will "darken skies" from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024, as NASA noted.
Fox News Digital's Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.
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