Sun starts ring of fire eclipse visible from Asia to Western US

An “annular eclipse” has been viewed across a swathe of the Earth stretching across the Pacific from Asia to the western US.

The eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth and does not block out the Sun completely.

Millions of people witnessed the resulting “ring of fire” phenomenon.

The eclipse passed almost directly over Tokyo before sweeping just below Alaska’s Aleutian islands and making landfall in the western US.

An "annular eclipse" has been viewed across a swathe of the Earth stretching across the Pacific from Asia to the western US

In Japan “eclipse tours” were held at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were also held in China and Taiwan.

TV in Tokyo broadcast the event live.

Light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began, but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect conditions.

“It was a very mysterious sight – I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in central Tokyo.

Japanese electronics giant Panasonic sent an expedition to the top of Mount Fuji to film the eclipse using solar-powered equipment.

“Our goal is to broadcast the world’s most beautiful annular eclipse from the highest mountain in Japan,” the company said.

However, in Hong Kong skywatchers were not so lucky. Hundreds had gathered along the Kowloon waterfront where the Space Museum had set up solar-filtered telescopes, but heavy clouds obstructed the view.