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Agence France-Presse

Skywatchers along a narrow band from West Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, India and the Far East witnessed a dramatic “ring of fire” solar eclipse on Sunday.
So-called annular eclipses occur when the Moon – passing between Earth and the Sun – is not quite close enough to our planet to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible.
They happen every year or two, and can only been seen from a narrow pathway across the planet.
Sunday’s eclipse arrived on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year – the summer solstice – when Earth’s north pole is tilted most directly towards the Sun.
The “ring of fire” was first visible in northeastern Republic of Congo from 5:56am local time (04:56 GMT) just a few minutes after sunrise.
This is the point of maximum duration, with the blackout lasting 1 minute and 22 seconds.
Arcing eastward across Africa and Asia, it reached “maximum eclipse” – with a perfect solar halo around the Moon – over Uttarakhand, India near the Sino-Indian border at 12:10pm local time (0640 GMT).

More spectacular, but less long-lived: the exact alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun was visible for only 38 seconds.
In Hong Kong, which did not fall within the 27-mile-wide path that the Moon’s shadow followed, about 86 per cent of the sun was blocked at the height of the eclipse – 4.08pm local time
In Nairobi, east Africa, observers saw only a partial eclipse as clouds blocked the sky for several seconds at the exact moment the Moon should have almost hidden the Sun.
Despite some disappointment Susan Murbana said: “It was very exciting because I think I’m so obsessed with eclipses.
Ring of fire solar eclipse visible in southern China this weekend
“Today has been very kind to us in terms of the clouds. And we’ve been able to see most of it,” said Murbana who set up the Travelling Telescope educational programme with her husband Chu.
Without the coronavirus pandemic, they would have organised a trip to Lake Magadi in southern Kenya where the skies are generally clearer than over the capital.
“With the pandemic situation, we’re not able to have crowds … and get kids to look through or do stuff,” she said but still managed to share the event on social media.

“We had around 50 people joining us via Zoom and then we have so many people via our Facebook live.”
The annular eclipse is visible from only about two per cent of Earth’s surface, Florent Delefie, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, said.
“It’s a bit like switching from a 500-watt to a 30-watt light bulb,” he added. “It’s a cold light and you don’t see as well.”
Animals can get spooked – birds will sometimes go back to sleep, and cows will return to the barn.
The full eclipse was visible at successive locations over a period of nearly four hours, and one of the last places to see the partially hidden Sun was Taiwan.
Hundreds gather at Hong Kong Space Museum to watch partial solar eclipse
People hundreds of kilometres (miles) on either side of the centreline across 14 countries could also see light drain from the day but not the “ring of fire”.
Weather conditions are critical for viewing.
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are visible from about half of the Earth’s surface.
There will be a second solar eclipse in 2020 on December 14 over South America. Because the Moon will be a bit closer to Earth, it will block out the Sun’s light entirely.


‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse thrills skywatchers in parts of Asia

A woman uses solar viewers to watch a partial solar eclipse in Gandhinagar, India. Photo: Reuters

epa08499499 A man observes a solar eclipse using an X-ray film in Jammu, northern India, 21 June 2020. During this annular solar eclipse – the first of the decade – the moon appears to cover the sun, leaving the sun's halo as a visible rim forming an annulus, popularly known as the 'ring of fire.' EPA-EFE/JAIPAL SINGH

A crow stands on a roof as a partial solar eclipse is observed in Nairobi, Kenya, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

The moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen in New Delhi. Photo: AFP

Ring of fire solar eclipse visible in southern China this weekend; Hong Kong to witness partial solar eclipse

December 26, 2019. The rare Annular "ring of fire" solar eclipse as seen from the Corniche road in Doha, Qatar. Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is not close enough to the Earth to completely obscure the Sun, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible.

A full “ring of fire” annular eclipse seen through thin clouds from Tokyo on the morning of May 21, 2012. Photo: Getty Images

Hundreds gather at Hong Kong Space Museum to watch partial solar eclipse

People in Hong Kong gathered at the city’s space museum to watch a partial solar eclipse on Boxing Day. Photo: Felix Wong

People in Hong Kong experiece a partial solar eclipse just after midday on Thursday. 26DEC19 SCMP / Felix Wong

News

Asia


Eclipse arrived on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year – the summer solstice
‘Maximum eclipse’ reached over Uttarakhand, India near the Chinese-India border



Sunday’s eclipse arrived on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year – the summer solstice.


India

‘Ring of fire’ solar eclipse thrills skywatchers in parts of Asia

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Eclipse arrived on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year – the summer solstice ‘Maximum eclipse’ reached over Uttarakhand, India near the Chinese-India border

Eclipse arrived on the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year – the summer solstice

‘Maximum eclipse’ reached over Uttarakhand, India near the Chinese-India border