An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon moves in front of the Sun but, because of its varying distance with the Earth, does not completely obscure the solar disk, leaving a fiery ring around its rim.

The eclipse will take place from 0345-0431 GMT, beginning in northern Scotland, crossing Iceland and central Greenland, ending at sunrise in Baffin Bay, Canada.

People living far south will get a partial eclipse, visible from most of Europe, the Middle East, central and northern Asia, and northwestern North America.

Further details, including maps, the weather outlook for Saturday and viewing prospects for cities lying in the eclipse path, can be found on the website run by veteran NASA eclipse-watcher Fred Espenak (sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/).

The next full solar eclipse will occur on November 23 2003, but it will only be visible from Antarctica. A partial eclipse will be visible from parts of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

People observing an eclipse should never view it directly with the naked eye or through a telescope or binoculars that do not have proper filters. The safest way is to watch it on the Internet.

SPACE.WIRE