Technology
Spectacular pics from around the world show ‘Ring of Fire’ and partial solar eclipses
TODAY marks the first solar eclipse of 2021 and it’s visible in lots of countries all over the world.
The partial eclipse will appear as a ‘ring of fire’ in some locations while in others it just appears to take a small chunk out of the Sun.
The Sun rising in an eclipse above Brooklyn Bridge in New York City[/caption]
The partial eclipse over Baltimore in the US[/caption]
The view from Canada as the Sun rose this morning[/caption]
The Sun over Houses of Parliament in London[/caption]
The eclipsed sunrise over Scituate Massachusetts in the US[/caption]
The partial eclipse starting above The Shard in London[/caption]
The ring of fire occurs during an annular or partial solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth.
During an annular eclipse, the moon is far enough away from the Earth so the moon appears smaller than the sun in the sky.
As it appears to be smaller, it doesn’t completely block out the sun so when it passes in front of the sun it leaves a circular, orangey-red ring-like border to the human eye.
The partial solar eclipse starting above London through thick cloud[/caption]
The start of the partial solar eclipse above Birmingham in the UK[/caption]
People in London trying to spot the eclipse through the cloud[/caption]
That effect is called an “annulus” or ring of fire around the moon.
People in northern Greenland, parts of nearby Baffin Bay, Canada, eastern Hudson Bay and northeastern Russia are in the path of the ‘ring of fire’ today.
People in the UK and the US may observe a slightly less spectacular dimming of the Sun, depending on the weather conditions in their area.
UK and US viewers started to experience the eclipse this morning although it did start before sunrise in many US states.
In the UK it started just after 10am but the peak isn’t till 11.13am – when the Moon will cover nearly one-third of the Sun.
The partial eclipse is expected to end at 12.22pm in the UK.
You can watch the TimeandDate livestream or the one at the top of this page.
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