"Ring of fire" solar eclipse will take place on June 21

PanARMENIAN.Net - Some parts of the world will see the sun turn into a "ring of fire" on Sunday, June 21, according to Business Insider.

The event, known as an annular solar eclipse, occurs when the moon is at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit and passes between the Earth and the sun. The moon partially covers the sun, but its small size in the sky means the sun's outer rim remains visible, making it look like a bright ring.

People in parts of China, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, India, and Pakistan will be able to watch the full annular solar eclipse. The event will begin for those in Central Africa — the first location to see the eclipse — on Sunday, June 21 at 4:47 a.m. local time. It will end for the last areas to see it — parts of China — at 8:32 a.m. local time. (That's at 12:47 a.m. and 4:32 a.m. ET if you watch remotely from the US.)

Those in Armenia and elsewhere, where the eclipse will not be visible, can follow the event online.

A partial annular eclipse will also be visible in southern and eastern Europe and northern Australia.

The name annular eclipse comes from the Latin word "annulus," which means ring.

A "ring of fire" eclipse happens once a year. Solar eclipses generally take place about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. One lunar eclipse occurred on June 5, and another will happen on July 5.