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ZuluThe 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.
The arrival of the 2020 Summer Solstice coincides with a rare type of annular solar eclipse on Sunday.
The Moon’s distance from the Earth means that it will 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 – passes from west to east over 12 countries on 21 June.
A partial eclipse will also be visible at various times in dozens of other countries, weather permitting.
You can watch a live stream of the eclipse as it passes directly over Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
You can also follow The Independent's live coverage for the latest updates and on where, how and when to see the solar eclipse.
2020-06-21T08:32:52.450Z
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.
2020-06-21T08:20:00.840Z
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.
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2020-06-21T08:09:38.780Z
And Taipei City:
2020-06-21T08:09:17.003Z
Yunlin County right now!
2020-06-21T08:06:30.736Z
We're just a minute away from annularity in Taiwan...
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2020-06-21T08:06:12.750Z
And here's how it appeared in Karachi, Pakistan. (Credit: Reuters)
2020-06-21T07:48:43.933Z
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.
2020-06-21T07:35:41.850Z
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.
2020-06-21T07:30:07.023Z
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.
2020-06-21T07:17:11.496Z
The next great view we're going to see through the live stream is in Taipei City, Taiwan. The path of the solar eclipse's annularity passes directly overhead.
2020-06-21T07:04:36.280Z
One of the peculiar effects of an eclipse is the shadows it creates. Here's how the sun's light looked after passing through a tree's leaves.
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2020-06-21T06:45:34.886Z
As the annular solar eclipse heads on its path towards China, there's some time for a bit more eclipse trivia.
An eclipse was needed to prove Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, which was done on 29 May, 2019. Stars near the Sun that would not normally be visible due to the Sun's brightness could be observed by astronomers. They appeared in a slightly different position due to the Sun's gravity bending the light from the star.
2020-06-21T06:34:47.450Z
The actual point of total annularity for the solar eclipse lasts just a fraction of a second but the crescent partial eclipse can last for several hours.
2020-06-21T06:28:50.450Z
And there we have it!
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2020-06-21T06:26:15.573Z
One minute until annularity in Sirsa...
2020-06-21T06:20:03.560Z
We're eight minutes away from annularity in Sirsa, India. While we wait here's some history of eclipses.
Back when solar eclipses could not be explained by science and astronomy, they were seen as either harbingers of hope or omens of despair.
Vikings explained them as sky wolves chasing the sun, in Vietnam it was frogs eating the sun, and tribes of North America said it was the mouth of heaven consuming the sun.
Despite this, some civilisations were actually able to predict them. Ancient Chinese astrologers more than 4,000 years ago were able to forecast the exact date of a solar eclipse. It was seen as so important to observe and predict that the failure of two astronomers to predict one in 2300 BC resulted in their heads being chopped off.
2020-06-21T06:00:45.050Z
If you don't have specialised eclipse viewing glasses to look directly at the sun, other equipment like pinhole projectors can allow you to safely see a projection of the eclipse.
These can be made using a couple of pieces of card or paper, using one to project the image of the sun through a pin-sized hole, and the other to project the image onto.
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2020-06-21T05:42:48.400Z
This animation shows where the eclipse is visible much better than my drawing.
2020-06-21T05:39:05.613Z
Here's what the latest weather looks like along the path of the total eclipse (red line) and for the furthest regions where the partial eclipse is visible (purple lines).
Satellite imagery courtesy of Accuweather. Poorly drawn lines courtesy of me.
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