'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse Sweeps Across Skies In Middle East And Southeast Asia

"From the Middle East to Southeast Asia, people looked skyward for a chance to see an annular eclipse Thursday, as the unusual celestial event took place over a long but thin band of the world. The striking "ring of fire" phenomenon – with the moon blotting out all but a sliver of the sun — began in Saudi Arabia and ended northeast of Guam in the Pacific Ocean."

"An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away from the Earth to block the entire sun during an eclipse. Instead of the sun's full bright disc, or a crescent of light, viewers in areas of complete annularity see a fiery halo around the moon."

"The event began in the early morning hours — in Oman, dramatic images showed the sun being obscured as it rose above the Gulf of Oman. Photographers captured similar scenes across the Middle East and in India."

"By the time the eclipse began happening further east, the sun was higher in the sky — and millions of people used protective eyewear to watch the moon partially blot out the sun."

"People outside of the roughly 73-mile-wide central path were still able to see at least a partial solar eclipse if their skies were clear. But even through light clouds, the bright halo effect was striking."