World marvels over annular eclipse

An annular eclipse of the sun was visible on Monday in parts of Europe, Africa, west Asia, India and the Middle East.

The eclipse started at 1.47pm in the UAE, reached its maximum obscuration at 2.59pm and ended at 4:04pm, according to Dr Nidhalm Guessoum, astrophysicist at the American University.

Facts about eclipses

• A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly in front on the sun and its shadow is cast on earth. Solar eclipses happen only at a new moon and when sun, moon and earth are aligned.
• Solar eclipses are of four types: total - when the moon completely obscures the sun; partial - when the sun is partially locked by the moon; annular - when the moon covers the centre of the sun but not its edges; or hybrid - total in some parts of the earth and annular in others.
• The first solar eclipse of this millennium swept across southern Africa on June 21, 2001. The next event, a total solar eclipse, will occur on March 29, 2006, and cover Brazil, northern Africa and central Asia.
• There can be a maximum of five solar eclipses in a year, with total eclipses occurring about once every 18 months. The record for a total solar eclipse is 7 minutes and 30 seconds.
• Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour (1,770 kph) at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour (8,000 kph) near the poles.
• A lunar eclipse occurs at full moon when the moon passes through the earth's shadow, which can be seen cast on to the moon. The next lunar eclipse will occur on Oct 17, 2005, and be visible in the Pacific Rim.