B.C. braces for rare ring-of-fire eclipse as clouds threaten views

On the morning of October 14, 2023, the sky above British Columbia staged one of its rarer performances — a ring-of-fire solar eclipse, where the moon frames the sun in a luminous golden halo. Southwestern residents held the most privileged vantage point, with the moon poised to obscure up to 80 percent of the sun at its peak. Yet nature, in its characteristic indifference to human anticipation, sent clouds and rain to contest the view. It is a reminder that celestial events unfold on their own terms, and our witness to them is never guaranteed.