A kid looks up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
The Associated Press
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - People along a swath of southern Asia gazed at the sky in marvel on Thursday at a 'œring of fire'ť solar eclipse.
The so-called annular eclipse, in which a thin outer ring of the sun is still visible, could be seen along a path stretching from India and Pakistan to Thailand and Indonesia.
Authorities in Indonesia provided telescopes and hundreds of special glasses to protect viewers' eyes. Thousands of people gazed at the sky and cheered and clapped as the sun transformed into a dark orb for more than two minutes, briefly plunging the sky into darkness. Hundreds of others prayed at nearby mosques.
"How amazing to see the ring of fire when the sun disappeared slowly," said Firman Syahrizal, a resident of Sinabang in Indonesia's Banda Aceh province who witnessed the eclipse with his family.
The previous annular solar eclipse in February 2017 was also visible over a slice of Indonesia.
People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
The Associated Press
A partial solar eclipse is seen from Jakarta, Indonesia Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
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People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
The Associated Press
People look up at the sun with protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse from Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
The Associated Press
People look up at the sun wearing protective glasses to watch a solar eclipse in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
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Birds fly past a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A boy holds a special filter and watches a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A roadside vendor holds a special filter and watches a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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Indians watch a partial solar eclipse in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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A bird sits on a wire as a partial solar eclipse is seen in the sky in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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Students take a picture of a reflection of a partial solar eclipse at a school in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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A partial solar eclipse is seen from Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. The last solar eclipse of 2019 was witnessed in Pakistan along with several other countries. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
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A student of Karachi University views the solar eclipse seen from Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019. The last solar eclipse of 2019 was witnessed in Pakistan along with several other countries. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
The Associated Press