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Solar eclipse of June 21, 2020 facts for kids

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Solar eclipse of 21 June 2020 in Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan
The eclipse pictured in Taiwan on June 21

Get ready to learn about a cool space event! On June 21, 2020, something amazing happened in the sky: an annular solar eclipse. This is when the Moon passes right in front of the Sun, but it doesn't completely cover it. Instead, the Sun looks like a bright ring in the sky! This special ring shape is called an "annulus," and it lasted for about thirty-eight seconds during this eclipse.

What Is an Annular Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun's light. Imagine the Moon casting a shadow on Earth!

An annular solar eclipse is a special kind of solar eclipse. It happens when the Moon is a bit farther away from Earth than usual. Because it's farther away, the Moon looks a little smaller in the sky. This means it can't completely cover the Sun. Instead, the edges of the Sun peek out around the Moon, making it look like a glowing ring or a "ring of fire."

This particular annular solar eclipse happened exactly one lunar year after another big eclipse on July 2, 2019.

Where Could You See This Eclipse?

The best places to see the full "ring of fire" (the central path of the eclipse) were across parts of Central and Eastern Africa. This included countries like the Congo Republic, the DR Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

The eclipse then moved across the southern Arabian Peninsula, covering parts of Yemen, Oman, and southern Saudi Arabia.

After that, it traveled over parts of South Asia and the Himalayas, including southern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, and Tibet.

Finally, the eclipse continued into parts of East Asia, where people in South China and Taiwan got to see it. It even reached a small part of Micronesia, including Guam. People in many other areas saw a partial eclipse, where the Moon only covered part of the Sun.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eclipse solar del 21 de junio de 2020 para niños

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