This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
On the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, a rare 'ring of fire' solar eclipse will be visible from a narrow band across Africa, Asia, and southern China on Sunday, June 21, 2020.
According to astronomers, an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, but is not close enough to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible.
On Sunday, the eclipse will first be seen in northeastern Republic of Congo at 5:56 local time (04:56 GMT), just a few minutes after sunrise, and will last for 1 minute and 22 seconds.
As the eclipse arcs eastward across Asia and Africa, it will reach its maximum duration over Uttarakhand, India near the Sino-Indian border at 12:10 local time (6:40 GMT), with a perfect solar halo around the Moon.
However, the exact alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun will be visible for only 38 seconds, making it a brief but spectacular sight.
"The annular eclipse is visible from about two percent of Earth's surface," said Florent Delefie, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory.
"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 during a solar eclipse, with birds sometimes going back to sleep and cows returning to the barn.
Weather conditions are critical for viewing the eclipse, and experts warn that looking at a solar eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous, even if the day has darkened.
