Singapore (AFP)
From Saudi Arabia to Oman via India and Southeast Asia, many amateur astronomers gathered on Thursday to observe a rare "ring of fire" eclipse.
An annular eclipse of this type occurs when the moon is not close enough to the earth to completely cover the sun, revealing a thin circle of solar disc.
These eclipses only occur every one or two years and are only visible from a narrow strip of land.
This year it could be observed, weather conditions permitting, in the Middle East, in South India and in Southeast Asia up to the North Pacific.
Hundreds of amateur astronomers and photographers have gathered in the port of Singapore for a "once in a lifetime" event.
"The next one will have to wait around 40 years," said Jason Teng, 37, who took a day off to photograph the eclipse.
The apprentice astronomer used a special sun filter on his telescope because it is dangerous for the eyesight to observe the eclipse with the naked eye.
Alexander Alin, a 45-year-old geophysicist from Germany, travels the world to follow the eclipses.
"It only lasts two minutes, but it's so intense that you talk about it with family and friends for several months," he notes.
In southern India, people gathered on the beaches of the state of Tamil Nadu to observe the phenomenon.
But in New Delhi, clouds and pollution blocked all visibility and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his disappointment on twitter.
"Like many Indians I was enthusiastic about the solar eclipse". "Unfortunately I could not see the sun because of the cloud cover."
Outside the narrow strip of land where one could see a "ring of fire", the general public could observe a partial eclipse.
The next solar eclipse will occur in June 2020 and will be visible in a strip of land from Africa to northern Asia.
The next one in June 2021 can only be seen from the Arctic, parts of Canada, Greenland and the Russian Far East.
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© 2019 AFP