Annular Eclipse Sets Record

Spectators looked on with awe on January 15, 2010, as the moon made its way between the Earth and the Sun, creating the longest annular solar eclipse on the record books.

The eclipse, which lasted 11 minutes and 7.8 seconds, appeared as a partial eclipse in much of Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. For those in Africa, however, the positioning of the Earth created a full annular eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon becomes positioned between the Earth and the Sun, temporarily obscuring the view of our local star. An annular eclipse occurs when the diameter of the moon appears smaller that the sun, as opposed to the same size, which is the case in a full solar eclipse. This smaller appearance of the moon creates the effect of a ring of light in the sky. The annular eclipse derives its name from this flaming ring like appearance (annulus is Latin for little ring).

The Tiny islands of the Maldives received the longest viewing time of the eclipse, with onlookers getting a full 10.8 minutes of viewing time. This annular eclipse will not be exceeded in length until the next annular eclipse on December 23, 3043.