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Graphic shows eclipse path.
GN40229EN

SCIENCE

Africa and Asia treated to ring-of-fire eclipse

By Jordi Bou

June 21, 2020 - An annular solar eclipse will awe sky watchers with a “ring of fire” visible from sunrise in Africa to sunset over the Pacific.

In annular eclipses, the moon does not appear large enough to cover the disk of the sun, and the effect is usually described as a ring of fire. In total solar eclipses, the sun and moon align for several minutes, creating a complete daytime blackout.

Earth and Sky notes that the eclipse spans only 85km at its widest point, and the maximum length of eclipse at any one place lasts only 1 minute 22 seconds. At the border of India, Nepal and China, where the width of its path shrinks to a minimum of 21km, annularity lasts a scant 38 seconds.

The eclipse starts at sunrise in the Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is higher in the sky in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, and Taiwan. It ends some 3 3/4 hours later over the Pacific Ocean.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 26/05/2020; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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