A halo of sun shone above parts of Africa on Thursday as the moon glided between the sun and the Earth, causing an annular or “ring of fire” eclipse.
Unlike a total solar eclipse where the moon completely blocks the sun’s light, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon partially blocks the sun, leaving a run of sunlight around the edges.
Thursday’s eclipse could be seen from countries including the Republic of Congo, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique, according to NASA. This video shows the view from the village of Saint-Gilles on Réunion, an island off the eastern coast of Africa.
The event began a shortly after 2 a.m. EDT and ended around 8 a.m. EDT, Space.com reported.
The next solar eclipse will take place Feb. 26, 2017 over South America, according to NASA, and a total solar eclipse will take place over the United States on Aug. 21, 2017.
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