Thousands in Asia marvel at 'ring of fire' solar eclipse
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A partial solar eclipse is seen from Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. The last solar eclipse of 2019 was witnessed in Pakistan along with several other countries. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)Birds fly past a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Students take a picture of a reflection of a partial solar eclipse at a school in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)A boy holds a special filter and watches a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A roadside vendor holds a special filter and watches a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)A student of Karachi University views the solar eclipse seen from Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. The last solar eclipse of 2019 was witnessed in Pakistan along with several other countries. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)People look up at the sun with protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A kid looks up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A bird sits on a wire as a partial solar eclipse is seen in the sky in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)A partial solar eclipse is seen from Jakarta, Indonesia Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Indians watch a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A partial solar eclipse is seen from Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. The last solar eclipse of 2019 was witnessed in Pakistan along with several other countries. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
BANDA ACEH – People along a swath of southern Asia gazed at the sky in marvel on Thursday at a “ring of fire” solar eclipse.
The so-called annular eclipse, in which a thin outer ring of the sun is still visible, could be seen along a path stretching from India and Pakistan to Thailand and Indonesia.
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Authorities in Indonesia provided telescopes and hundreds of special glasses to protect viewers' eyes. Thousands of people gazed at the sky and cheered and clapped as the sun transformed into a dark orb for more than two minutes, briefly plunging the sky into darkness. Hundreds of others prayed at nearby mosques.
"How amazing to see the ring of fire when the sun disappeared slowly," said Firman Syahrizal, a resident of Sinabang in Indonesia's Banda Aceh province who witnessed the eclipse with his family.
The previous annular solar eclipse in February 2017 was also visible over a slice of Indonesia.
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