Ring of Fire Moves across Central Africa

Many amateur astronomers in Africa and Asia had the chance to observe a rare solar eclipse of the “ring of fire” type, despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus and sometimes unfavorable climatic conditions. This astronomical phenomenon, which occurs once or twice a year, started soon after sunrise in central Africa, passing through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Ethiopia before heading to Asia, to finish in the Pacific Ocean, south of the island of Guam, at 09:32 GMT, after having notably crossed India and China. In this type of eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun, in an alignment with the earth, but instead of completely blocking the sun, there remains a ring, called “ring of fire.” In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, a little away from the ideal route, the curious could only observe a partial eclipse, with the clouds appearing for a few seconds at the precise moment when the moon should have come to hide almost entirely the sun.

SOURCE: VOA