'Ring of fire' eclipse brings cheers and shouts of joy as it moves across the Americas

Millions of people across the Americas watched a rare "ring of fire" eclipse of the Sun Saturday, with some using box projectors, telescopes, and special glasses. Vendors, children, and adults alike were awed by the spectacle, with some feeling a sense of energy and others reflecting on the ancient Maya astronomers who referred to eclipses as "broken sun."

First came the darkening skies, then the crescent-shaped shadows on the ground, and finally an eruption of cheers by crowds that gathered Saturday along the narrow path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the Sun.

It was a spectacular show for millions of people across the Americas as the Moon moved into place and blocked out all but a brilliant circle of the Sun's outer edge.

Hundreds of people filed into the planetarium in the Caribbean resort city of Cancún to watch the eclipse. Some peered through box projectors, while others looked through telescopes and special glasses.

Excited children whistled, as some adults raised their arms toward the sky as if to welcome the eclipse.

Vendors selling plants outside observed the dance between the Moon and the Sun in a more natural way — with the help of trees as the shifting sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting unique shadows on the sidewalk.

“There was silence and like a mist, as if it was dusk, but only a few minutes later the birds were singing again,” said Carmen Jardines, 56, one of the vendors.

Artemia Carreto, was telling passersby about her experience as a child in southern Mexico, when they were told to look instead at the river where it reflected beautifully on the sand beneath the water.