This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
On Sunday, June 21, 2020, a rare 'ring of fire' solar eclipse will be visible from a narrow band across Africa, Asia, and southern China.
Annular eclipses occur 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.
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 'maximum eclipse' 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.
According to Florent Delefie, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, the annular eclipse is visible from about two percent of Earth's surface.
He compared the eclipse to switching from a 500-watt to a 30-watt light bulb, saying, 'It's a cold light, and you don't see as well.'
Good weather is crucial 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.
Delefie warned that sunglasses, which don't filter out UV rays, do not offer any protection, saying, 'The Sun is so bright that even when there's only a tiny portion visible, it is still dangerous for the eyes.'
