Phenomenon of crescent-shaped shadows wows spectators across the Americas during annular solar eclipse
The next eclipse that will be visible from the United States will be a total eclipse on April 8, 2024. Unlike during Saturday’s event, the April occasion will result in the complete blockage of the sun for communities in more than a dozen states from Texas to Maine.
Spectators witness the eclipse at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
FOX Weather's Robert Ray spoke with the Alamo's Emily Baucum about how skygazers spent the day watching the eclipse and learning about the history of the Alamo. Oct. 14, 2023.
A celestial event witnessed across a large part of the Western Hemisphere Saturday created a unique phenomenon that many people saw on sidewalks, driveways and other surfaces – crescent figures of the sun.
Objects such as trees and bushes helped to create natural pinhole lenses that projected dozens of mini crescents onto the ground below.
Sightings of the unique patterns happened from California to Idaho and Texas to Florida.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Boise, Idaho, took video of the crescent-shaped shadows outside their office and posted it on social media.
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The more savvy eclipse watchers created their own pinhole projections with the use of index cards, pasta colanders and even their hands.
The only fundamental rule for creating the projections was to make sure the sun was behind you and that there was a small opening to allow light through.
Meteorologists at the NWS in Cheyenne also observed the pattern that was created by trees outside their office.
![Impacts from the eclipse in Texas]()
Image 1 of 3Shapes of crescents form along the ground due to the eclipse in Texas (@hurricanetrack)
![Crescent shape shadows on the ground in Louisiana]()
Image 2 of 3Crescent shape shadows on the ground in Louisiana (Shreveport NWS)
![Impacts from the eclipse]()
Image 3 of 3Shapes of crescents form along the ground due to the eclipse in Wyoming (NWS Cheyenne)
Seeing the projected shapes did not require any special eye protection and was a way to participate in the viewing of the eclipse without looking directly at the sun.
In addition to unique sights, weather observation sites across a large part of the United States reported temperatures that fell more than two degrees during the event.
Meteorologists in Amarillo, Texas, reported a temperature drop of around three degrees between 10 a.m. CDT and noon and similar reports were received in Oklahoma, where temperatures dropped by upwards of four degrees.
The drop in the sun’s radiation was only temporary, and temperatures rebounded by the time the partial eclipse had moved out of the region.
If you missed the annular solar eclipse, you’ll get another chance to see a stunning celestial event in the spring known as a total solar eclipse.
Unlike on Saturday, when upwards of 90% of the sun was obstructed, the total eclipse on April 8, 2024, will cover the entire sun for millions of Americans.