Annular eclipse seen across Japan

An annular solar eclipse was visible over a wide area of Japan on Monday morning, giving thrills to observers across the nation. For the first time in 932 years, the rare astronomical event could be seen from a wide area of Japan including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. It was seen from Kagoshima Prefecture in the southwest to Fukushima in northeastern Japan. An annular eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are exactly in line. Instead of obscuring the sun, the eclipse creates a bright ring, called an annular, around the moon's silhouette. In Japan, the moon began sliding in front of the sun from around 6 AM. At Cape Muroto in western Japan, a partial eclipse began at around 6:15 AM, and the "ring of fire" was formed about one hour later. The point where the annular eclipse is visible moved from west to east in a quick succession, from Osaka to Nagoya to Tokyo and then Fukushima. The eclipse was visible in more places than anticipated because the weather cooperated at the last minute, despite forecasts for cloudy skies in many areas. In Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, NHK cameras caught a high-definition image of Baily's beads --- a spectacle only visible during fleeting moments of the annular eclipse. The image shows beads of sunlight shining through rugged valleys on the edge of the moon. Observation events were held on land, sea and in the air. Some elementary schools held viewing parties. Astronomers say the next time an annular eclipse can be seen across such a wide area will be 300 years from now, in 2312