The annular phase of this rare solstice solar eclipse was visible from parts of Africa and Asia, including the Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, southern Pakistan, northern India, and China. If the weather cooperated, people in these areas saw the characteristic "ring of fire."
Was this Annular Solar Eclipse visible in Washington DC?
Where the Eclipse Was Seen
Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.
Path of the Eclipse Shadow
Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: South/East Europe, Much of Asia, North in Australia, Much of Africa, Pacific, Indian Ocean.
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Eclipse Shadow Path
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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.
3D Eclipse Animation
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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.
Note: The animation follows the eclipse shadow from west to east, its point of view moving around the planet at a greater speed than Earth's rotation. If you don't take into account this rapid change of perspective, it may look like Earth is spinning in the wrong direction.
Rare Solstice Eclipse
In many time zones, this eclipse took place on the same day as the June Solstice. The next time an annular solar eclipse coincides with the June solstice in this century is on June 21, 2039.
High Magnitude, Narrow Path, Short Annularity
The path of this rare solstice "ring of fire" eclipse was long—it spans across two continents, Africa and Asia, and 14 countries—but it was also very narrow. At its widest, in West Africa, the path was only about 85 km (53 mi) wide. Here, annularity lasted for about 1 minute and 20 seconds.
At the location of Greatest Eclipse, in Uttrakhand, India, near the border of China and Nepal, the magnitude of the eclipse was 0.996 and the width of the path was about 21 kms (13 mi). Annularity here lasted for around 38 seconds.
This eclipse also had the highest magnitude (0.99401) at the instant of Greatest Eclipse among all the annular solar eclipses between 2003 and 2031. The next annular solar eclipse with a higher magnitude is on September 12, 2034.
When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline
The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred.
| Event | UTC Time | Time in Washington DC* |
|---|---|---|
| First location to see the partial eclipse begin | Jun 21 at 03:45:58 | Jun 20 at 11:45:58 pm |
| First location to see the full eclipse begin | Jun 21 at 04:47:45 | Jun 21 at 12:47:45 am |
| Maximum Eclipse | Jun 21 at 06:40:04 | Jun 21 at 2:40:04 am |
| Last location to see the full eclipse end | Jun 21 at 08:32:17 | Jun 21 at 4:32:17 am |
| Last location to see the partial eclipse end | Jun 21 at 09:34:01 | Jun 21 at 5:34:01 am |
* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. Please note that the local times for Washington DC are meant as a guideline in case you want to view the eclipse via a live webcam. They do not mean that the eclipse is necessarily visible there.
Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds.
Eclipses visible in Washington DC.
Next Annular Solar Eclipse will be on Jun 10, 2021.
An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.
This is the second eclipse this season.
First eclipse this season: June 5, 2020 — Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Third eclipse this season: July 5, 2020 — Penumbral Lunar Eclipse