An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth in its orbit. At this distance, it appears smaller than the sun in the sky.
During an annular eclipse, the moon passes directly in front of the sun but doesn't fully cover its disk. This leaves a bright ring of the sun's outer rim visible around the moon.
The "Ring of Fire" effect looks most dramatic right at the maximum point of the eclipse.
At this moment, the moon is aligned exactly in front of the center of the sun.
Annular eclipses are rare, occurring only about 5 times per decade. This is because the moon's orbit is elliptical and it needs to be at or near apogee.
The annular eclipse occurred on June 10, 2021 and will be visible from parts of Canada, Greenland, and Russia.
The one after that is on October 14, 2023 visible from the US, Mexico, and Central America.
In total eclipse, the moon fully covers the sun's disk, creating a few minutes of darkness. But annular eclipses never achieve totality.