Solar eclipse 2020 as it happened: Coverage of rare 'annular' event that passed directly over 12 countries

What is an annular solar eclipse?

The arrival of the 2020 Summer Solstice coincided with a rare type of annular solar eclipse on Sunday.

The Moon’s distance from the Earth meant that it did not completely block out the Sun, creating what some astronomers refer to as a “ring of fire”.

The path of totality – when the Earth, Moon and Sun are perfectly aligned – passed from west to east over 12 countries on 21 June.

A partial eclipse was also visible at various times in dozens of other countries, though poor weather across South East Asia made viewing difficult.

A live stream of the eclipse was broadcast as it passed directly over Africa, the Middle East and Asia (skip to around two hours in to see the full annularity over India).

You can also read The Independent's live coverage of the 2020 solar eclipse.

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Key Points

• Map showing the countries where the total (and partial) eclipse is visible
• Time the eclipse is first and last visible

[21 June 2020 08:30 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Not only is today the summer solstice and the day of the solar eclipse, it's also Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day to everyone! I hope you're enjoying it as much as this family appears to be.

[21 June 2020 08:35 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Unfortunately for most people in the US, the path of the eclipse doesn't cross North America. People in the US territory of Guam, however, will get to see it.

The partial eclipse has just begun there, with the peak coming at 6.31pm local time. That's in just under an hour.

[21 June 2020 08:48 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Pictures of the eclipse have started trickling in from the major photo agencies. Here's one from Getty captured by one of their photographers in New Delhi this morning.

[21 June 2020 09:06 · anthony.cuthbertson]

And here's how it appeared in Karachi, Pakistan. (Credit: Reuters)

[21 June 2020 09:06 · anthony.cuthbertson]

We're just a minute away from annularity in Taiwan...

[21 June 2020 09:09 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Yunlin County right now!

[21 June 2020 09:09 · anthony.cuthbertson]

And Taipei City:

[21 June 2020 09:20 · anthony.cuthbertson]

Taiwan just managed to avoid any cloud disruption but other regions where the partial eclipse is visible aren't quite so lucky. Large parts of South East Asia and Japan are currently blocked from seeing the solar eclipse, according to satellite images from Accuweather. Fortunately for anyone in northern Australia, which is just within the range of the partial eclipse, the skies are completely clear.

[21 June 2020 09:32 · anthony.cuthbertson]

I've been trying to find images of the eclipse from the International Space Station but haven't come across anything good yet. Here's how the 2017 eclipse looked from the ISS.

[21 June 2020 09:45 · anthony.cuthbertson]

The eclipse doesn't just damage your eyesight if you stare directly at it – it can also damage your camera if you point it straight at the sun. This risk hasn't stopped some people from capturing it, as this video from Hong Kong a few moments ago shows.