Rare ring-of-fire eclipse witnessed across Asia

Crowds from many countries in the continent gathered to watch the phenomenon

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Skywatchers from Saudi Arabia and Oman to India and Singapore were treated to a rare ring-of-fire solar eclipse on Thursday.

Hundreds of amateur astronomers, photographers, and those keen not to missed out gathered for what had been described as a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This phenomenon, which was also seen across the UAE, occurs when the Moon is not close enough to the Earth to completely obscure the Sun, leaving a discernible outline of the solar disc visible.

While these types of eclipses occur every year or two, they are only visible from a narrow band on the Earth's surface each time and it can be decades before the exact same pattern is repeated.

Depending on weather conditions, this year's astronomical phenomenon was set to be visible from the Middle East across southern India and Southeast Asia before ending over the northern Pacific.