by Ashwin Kumar
SHAH ALAM, Dec 26 — Malaysians were treated to a “ring of fire” solar eclipse today, which was last spotted twenty years ago in the country.
Though the eclipse is an annual occurrence, the ring of fire, or annular solar eclipse, was last seen in Malaysia in August 1998 in Mersing, Johor.
This year’s astronomical phenomenon was visible in Klang Valley despite the cloudy weather.
The people were treated with the unique ring of fire at 1.46pm as the moon slowly made its way across the sun.
Bernama reported that some 5,000 spectators witnessed the eclipse at the fullest extent in Tanjung Piai in Johor.
In Kuala Lumpur, hundreds of people gathered outside Planetarium Negara for the Solarfest Malaysia 2019 event to witness the eclipse, using protective glasses provided by the planetarium.
The annular solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the centre of the sun to leave only a ring of light around it.
The next occurrence to take place in Malaysia will be on May 21 in 2042.
