In photos: Crowds across Singapore witness rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse on Boxing Day

SINGAPORE: Thousands of people in Singapore looked to the sky on Boxing Day (Dec 26) to catch a rare annular solar eclipse as darkness set in across the island. 

An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the sun’s centre, leaving the sun’s visible outer edges forming a ring around the moon. 

It occurs when the moon is farthest from the earth and appears smaller, hence not blocking the entire view of the sun, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

The phenomenon began to unfold at around 11.30am on Thursday.

This Boxing Day eclipse has been described as a “once in a lifetime” event, as the next annular solar eclipse that can be seen in Singapore will only occur in 2063. 

Huge crowds could be seen gathered at the Marina Barrage, Boat Quay and Hong Lim Park to witness the rare eclipse. 

People were armed with mobile phones and other devices to capture the moment with several seen without the protective solar glasses.