TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Residents across Taiwan took advantage of fair weather on Sunday (June 21) to catch a glimpse of a rare annular eclipse.
According to the Tainan Astronomical Education Area, the eclipse could be viewed in its totality along a belt across southern Taiwan that runs through Kinmen County, Penghu County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Tainan City, Hualien County, and Taitung County. The annular eclipse lasted about one minute along the central line of the eclipse zone and only a few seconds along its edges.
An annular eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun's center, leaving a "ring of fire" known as an annulus around the moon's periphery. The last time such a phenomenon was visible in Taiwan was 2012, and the next will not take place until the year 2215.
Full cycle of eclipse taken on an iPhone. (Facebook, Anfernee Shih)
The viewing time varied by longitude and latitude, but the best places from which to view the eclipse were Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Kinmen County. In Yunlin, the partial eclipse started at 2:49:23 p.m.
The annularity started at 4:13:55 p.m., and the maximum eclipse occurred at 4:14:06; while the annularity ended at 4:14:20, and the partial eclipse finished at 5:25:44. The solar spectacle in Chiayi County and Chiayi City started a few seconds earlier than Yunlin, while Kinmen began five minutes earlier than Yunlin.
Shadows of the eclipse projected on a wall. (PTT photo)
A partial view of the eclipse could be seen in Taipei starting at 2:49 p.m. Approximately 10,000 people gathered at the Taipei Astronomical museum to witness the spectacle, the most since a solar eclipse took place in July 2009, reported CNA.
Many motorists from across Taiwan flocked to Chiayi, which had some of the best views of the solar phenomenon. The Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation Company estimates that there were 15 percent more passengers visiting Chiayi that day compared to the prior weekend.
F-16's from 4th Wing of Taiwan Air Force. (Twitter, Ministry of National Defense photo)
Amateur and professional photographers alike took a shot at capturing the rare occurrence. By Sunday evening, social media sites were inundated with a plethora of photos from both smartphones and DSLR cameras.
Chiayi County. (CNA photo)
Chiayi County. (CNA photo)
Hui Sui Temple in Yunlin County's Kouhu township. (Photo by Reddit user Li-Ing-Ju_El-Cid)
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. (CNA photo)
Temple near Gaomei Wetlands in Taichung County. (CNA photo)
Temple near Gaomei Wetlands in Taichung County. (CNA photo)
Temple near Gaomei Wetlands in Taichung County. (CNA photo)
Yilan County, Datong Township. (CNA photo)
Yuli Township, Hualien County. (Orrin Hoopman photo)
Yuli Township, Hualien County. (Orrin Hoopman photo)
Yuli Township, Hualien County. (Orrin Hoopman photo)
Saw this photo from whatsapp.
Annular solar eclipse at Taiwan, tremendous ring of fire shot. pic.twitter.com/DTjmgmieVn
— LO Kin-hei 羅健熙 (@lokinhei) June 21, 2020
Annular Solar Eclipse from Taiwan#NASA pic.twitter.com/jhi0QZczcu
— ThsrcMan (@ThsrcM) June 21, 2020
