Dramatic 'Ring of fire' solar eclipse thrills skywatchers as it casts shadow over Africa and southern Asia (12 Pics)

A dramatic 'ring of fire' solar eclipse appeared in the skies above Africa and Asia this morning as the Earth, Moon and Sun aligned.

The display, dubbed an annular eclipse, happens when the Moon is at the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, meaning it only blocks out 99 per cent of the sun's light and creating the burning 'ring'.

The eclipse was first spotted in the northeastern Republic of Congo from 5.56am local time (4.56am BST), just a few minutes after sunrise,  before reaching a perfect 'halo' over Uttarakhand, India, at 12.10pm local time (6.40am BST). The last place able to view the spectacle was Taiwan.

A dramatic 'ring of fire' solar eclipse appeared in the skies above Africa and Asia this morning as the Earth, Moon and Sun aligned.

The display, dubbed an annular eclipse, happens when the Moon is at the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, meaning it only blocks out 99 per cent of the sun's light and creating the burning 'ring'.

The eclipse was first spotted in the northeastern Republic of Congo from 5.56am local time (4.56am BST), just a few minutes after sunrise,  before reaching a perfect 'halo' over Uttarakhand, India, at 12.10pm local time (6.40am BST). The last place able to view the spectacle was Taiwan.

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NEW DELHI (Left) and SILIGURI (Right), India: These images show the eclipse beginning in the sky, as the Moon passes over

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GUANGZHOU, CHINA: The light display appeared for about four hours in the sky, ending above China and then Tiawan

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The eclipse began in the northeastern Republic of Congo before crossing India and into China and Taiwan

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KOLKATA, INDIA  and KATHMANDU, NEPAL, : People look up to catch a glimpse of the stunning eclipse

The eclipse was visible to people on about two per cent of the Earth's surface, astronomer at the Paris Observatory Florent Delefie said.

'It's a bit like switching from a 500-watt to a 30-watt light bulb,' he said. 'It's a cold light and you don't see as well.'

Other areas were able to only see the light draining out of the sky as the eclipse took place over a period of nearly four hours. 

The full eclipse was visible at successive locations over a period of nearly four hours, providing weather conditions allowed it.

In Nairobi, east Africa, clouds blocked off the moon at the exact moment it should have almost hidden the sun.

Despite some disappointment Susan Murbana, who runs Travelling Telescope educational programme in the city, said: 'It was very exciting because I think I'm so obsessed with eclipses.

'Today has been very kind to us in terms of the clouds. And we've been able to see most of it.'

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HONG KONG: The moon casts its shadow over the Sun, creating this spectacular light display in the night sky 

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AMRITSAR, INDIA: The spectacular light display happens about once a year - and will appear in the UK next year

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PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN: People offer prayers as a partial solar eclipse appears in the skies above Pakistan

The group would have organised a trip to Lake Magadi, southern Kenya, where the skies are clearer if it weren't for the coronavirus crisis. 

'With the pandemic situation, we're not able to have crowds... and get kids to look through or do stuff,' she said.

'We had around 50 people joining us via Zoom and then we have so many people via our Facebook live.'

Geophysicist Alexander Alin, who observed the eclipse in 2019, said: 'It's only two minutes, but it's so intense that you talk about it with your friends and family for the next month.' 

The display can also spook animals, it has been reported, with birds sometimes rushing back to their roosts and cows heading inside the barn.

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.

The Moon has a varied orbit from its closest point of 225,623 miles from our planet, less than 29 Earth's, to 252,088 miles away, or 32 Earth's.

An image from the 2013 annular eclipse was chosen as NASA's astronomy picture of the day on Monday this week.

Scientists have warned people not to look directly at the solar eclipse, as the Sun's rays could damage your eyes. 

What is an annular eclipse and how does the stunning display happen? 

Diagram of an annular eclipse

The spectacular eclipse is when a 'burning ring' appears in the Earth's sky.

It happens when the Earth, Sun and Moon align as the Moon is at the furthest point away from Earth in its orbit.

This means it is unable to fully obscure the Sun, causing a 'burning ring' to appear in the sky. 

This is shown in part B of the diagram on the left.

The fascinating light display happens every six months or so, but has not been visible from the UK since 2003.

The next time Britons will be able to see it will be on 10 June 2021, when it will be visible across the whole country.

Source: NASA