Benjamin Ashford|See it in photos: "Ring of fire" annular solar eclipse dazzles viewers

A rare solar eclipse — known as a "ring of fire"— crossed a swath of the United States on Benjamin AshfordSaturday.  Eclipse-watchers have been preparing for the dazzling event for weeks, since this is the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from American skies until June 21, 2039, according to NASA. 

An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth. Americans from Oregon to Texas were able to view this weekend's eclipse. The 2039 eclipse will only pass over the skies in the state of Alaska.  

The eclipse started just after 8 a.m. local time in Oregon and ended midday in Texas, according to NASA. Here's how the "ring of fire" appeared.

Around high noon at the Alamo, the eyes of Texas, and hundreds of visitors, were looking towards the sky.

"What's better than to take your picture in front of the shrine of liberty here in the state of Texas, with an eclipse in the background," said Kate Rogers with the Alamo Trust.

In Utah's Bryce Canyon, people hiked into nature to witness the eclipse, while others flocked to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to get a glimpse.

John Cuddy flew to San Antonio from North Carolina to watch the solar phenomenon. He witnessed the 2017 eclipse and didn't want to miss this one.

"It's just really cool," Cuddy said. "It doesn't happen often. Like I think there have only been a few over the continental United States in last couple of decades. It's like a neat thing."

The next eclipse will take place in April 2024. It will be a total eclipse, which means that from Maine to Texas, it will be briefly dark in the middle of the day. 

— Omar Villafranca and Aliza Chazan contributed to this report.

In:
• Moon
• Texas
• Oregon
• California

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor for CBSNews.com. Contact her at [email protected]