'Ring of fire' solar eclipse thrills skywatchers in Africa, Asia

The exact alignment of the Earth, moon and sun was visible for only 38 seconds

Published: June 21, 2020 14:07 AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Editor

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The moon partially covers the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen from Kurukshetra. | Skywatchers along a narrow band from west Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, India and the Far East witnessed Sunday a dramatic "ring of fire" solar eclipse. Image Credit: AFP

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The moon passes between the sun and the earth during a partial solar eclipse as seen in Beijing. | 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. Image Credit: AP

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The partial solar eclipse is captured using infra red filter in the cloudy sky in Nairobi, Kenya. | They happen every year or two, and can only been seen from a narrow pathway across the planet. Image Credit: AFP

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The moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen through clouds from New Delhi. | 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. Image Credit: AFP

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The moon partially covers the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen from New Delhi. | 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 12:10 local time (0640 GMT). Image Credit: AFP

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An eclipse seen from Yunlin county, center Taiwan. | More spectacular, but less long-lived: the exact alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun was visible for only 38 seconds. Image Credit: AFP

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A crow stands on a roof as a partial solar eclipse is observed in Nairobi, Kenya. | 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. Image Credit: Reuters

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The moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen from Islamabad. Image Credit: AFP

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The moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse as seen through clouds from New Delhi. Image Credit: AFP

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The moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse in Banda Aceh. Image Credit: AFP

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