Pittsburgh Stargazers Catch Glimpse Of Rare 'Ring Of Fire' Solar Eclipse

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The "ring of fire" solar eclipse made its first appearance in Pittsburgh in over four years, but it wasn't just here that stargazers set their alarms early to try and catch a glimpse.

Thursday morning offered a moment to remember.

"This was an awesome morning for a lot of people who woke up around the world to enjoy the solar eclipse," said Mike Hennessy, manager of the Carnegie Science Center Buhl Planetarium.

People worldwide watched as the solar eclipse lit up the sky. Locally, many went to Mt. Washington to witness it all unfold.

"Some folks who did get to see it were treated to seeing a crescent sun," said Hennessy. "We're used to seeing a crescent moon in the sky at different times of the month. Folks who saw the partial eclipse today were treated to seeing a rising crescent sun with the moon covering it."

Those in other countries had a different view. People in Canada, Greenland and Russia may have seen an annular eclipse.

"Because the moon is farther away in its orbit around the earth, it's not completely covering the sun, so folks are seeing the dark disk of the moon, but they're seeing just that ring of golden light from the sun, or ring of fire around it," said Hennessy.

Hennessy says the last total solar eclipse was in 2017, and the next one won't be until April 2024. But in the meantime, he still wants people to keep their eyes on the skies.

"If you missed the solar eclipse this morning, not to worry," Hennessy said. "Head outside before dawn and take in the two great gas giants of our solar system."

Hennessy says you can possibly see Jupiter and Saturn tomorrow right before sunrise.