In Pictures: 'Ring of fire' eclipse seen across Asia, U.S.
Sky watchers in parts of Asia and the western United States were treated to a rare astronomical spectacle on Sunday. An annular solar eclipse dimmed the Pacific skies and turned the sun into a flaming ring of fire. It was the first time in 18 years that an annular eclipse was visible in the continental U.S.
Hikers watch the annular solar eclipse from Papago Park in Phoenix on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
The 'ring of fire' is so named because, as the moon passes in front of the sun, it leaves only a golden ring around its edges. Here, the eclipse is seen north of Odessa, Texas.
The solar eclipse is pictured in Kanarraville, Utah.
People watch the spectacle in the southwestern town of Kanarraville, Utah on May 20, 2012.
The eclipse is visible through binoculars in Sacramento, California, on May 20, 2012.
A partial solar eclipse sets behind a field on Sunday, May 20, 2012, southwest of Ellis, Kansas.
The eclipse is seen at sunrise on Monday, May 21, 2012, from the coastal township of Gumaca, southeast of Manila, Philippines.
People observe the eclipse at the Taipei Astronomical Museum on May 21, 2012.
What better time to do tai chi? A man practices the martial art beneath the solar eclipse at the Bund along the Huangpu River in Shanghai on May 21, 2012.
A child looks at projections produced during the eclipse at Taipei Astronomical Museum May 21, 2012.