Solar Eclipse 2019: World witnesses last celestial wonder of the decade

 | Updated: Dec 28, 2019, 05:00 PM IST

Skywatchers from Saudi Arabia and Oman to India and Singapore were treated to a rare 'ring of fire' solar eclipse Thursday.

India

Thousands of skywatchers gathered across parts of the Middle East and Asia on Thursday to glimpse the sun forming a ring of fire around the moon in a rare annular solar eclipse.

(Photograph:AFP)

Iraq

The annular solar eclipse, the last one of the decade took place on 26th December. 

(Photograph:AFP)

Hong Kong

Eclipse takes place when the 'Moon' comes in between the 'Sun' and ' Earth', which makes the sun partly or totally invisible to viewers from Earth.

(Photograph:AFP)

Philippines

The annular eclipse is when the moon's diameter is smaller than the diameter of the sun, which makes it look like a 'ring of fire'.

(Photograph:AFP)
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Kuwait

This is the third eclipse of the year, basically, there are two solar eclipses in a year and in rare cases there can be up to seven eclipses. 
 

(Photograph:AFP)

Myanmar

Though solar filters and solar goggles were distributed among the people in the national capital for safe viewing, the thick and dense fog blocked the view of the much-awaited annual solar eclipse. 


 

(Photograph:AFP)

Pakistan

Hundreds of amateur astronomers, photographers and set up by Singapore's harbour for what some described as a "once in a lifetime" event.
 

(Photograph:AFP)

Thailand

Alexander Alin 45, a geophysicist from Germany, travels around the world following eclipses.

"It's only two minutes, but it's so intense that you talk about it with your friends, family for the next month," Alin said.
 

(Photograph:AFP)

China

The next annual eclipse in June 2020 will be visible to a narrow band from Africa to northern Asia.

The following one in June 2021 will only be seen in the Arctic and parts of Canada, Greenland and the remote Russian far east.

(Photograph:AFP)