The Sun and Moon will cross paths this weekend, creating a beautiful ring of fire eclipse in the skies. On Sunday, June 21, the Moon will pass directly in front of the Sun and blot out all but the outer edges of the star. This type of eclipse is known as an annular eclipse because the Moon will be at a farther orbit of Earth and appear smaller than usual.
The US space agency NASA said: “The Moon in front of the Sun looks like a dark disk on top of a larger Sun-colored disk. This creates what looks like a ring around the Moon.”
Astronomers expect the eclipse to follow a narrow path across central Africa, through the Middle East and South East Asia before wrapping up over the Pacific.
Countries on either side of this path will witness partial eclipsing of the Sun.
Unfortunately, hopeful astronomers in North America, South America, Australia and most of Europe will miss out on the spectacle.
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According to Michael E Bakich of Astronomy Magazine, the Moon will cover up to 99.4 percent of the Sun.
Eclipsing will start over the Republic of Congo at about 5.47am BST (4.47am UTC).
Maximum eclipse or the point of maximum coverage wil happen at about 7.40am BST (6.40am UTC).
Eclipsing will end at about 9.32am BST (8.32am UTC) and the last country to see partial eclipsing end will be at about 10.34am BST (9.34am UTC).
Unlike lunar eclipses, solar eclipses only last for a few minutes at a time.
The Moon in front of the Sun looks like a dark disk
NASA
When was the last eclipse over the UK?
Solar and lunar eclipses are aplenty, with two to five eclipses appearing every year.
However, it is rare for an eclipse to appear over the exact same area twice.
The last eclipse visible from the UK was a partial eclipse of the Sun that brushed over the northernmost parts of Scotland, Orkney and the Shetland Islands on August 11, 2018.
At the height of the eclipse, only about two percent of the Sun was obscured from view.
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Before that, on March 20, 2015, millions of people across the UK witnessed up to 83 percent of the Sun vanished behind the Moon.
But the greatest spectacle occurred on August 11, 1999, when a total eclipse of the Sun passed over Cornwall in southwest England.
Some 350 million people in Europe and Asia witnessed the event that briefly turned day into night.
According to the BBC, TV astronomer Patrick Moore described the view from Falmouth as a “strange, weird experience”.
When is the next eclipse visible from the UK?
Another annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from the UK on June 10, 2021.
Then, a partial eclipse of the Sun will take place on March 29, 2025.
A year later, on August 12, 2026, up to 90 percent of the Sun will vanish during a total eclipse.
A total eclipse will also pass over the UK on September 23, 2090.
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