Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje/Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 26: Annular solar eclipse, one of the rare forms of solar eclipses, took place in India and several other countries on Wednesday, December 26. Many witnessed the annular solar eclipse, with the sun appearing as a 'ring of fire', in the morning sky.

People of the twin-districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi were waiting to view the last of the solar eclipses to happen during this decade. They were ready in advance with equipment to view the solar eclipse duly ensuring that their eyes do not suffer any damage, under the guidance of experts.

People came together at Padua College Nanthoor and many other places to view the solar eclipse.

At the same time, various kinds of puja and other procedures have been arranged in various temples for purifying the temples after the eclipse ends and also to offer remedies to people whose star signs get affected by this solar eclipse as per astrological calculations. Hindus believe that they should not consume food during a period stretching to several hours before the onset of the eclipse till the eclipse ends.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon, due to its huge large distance from the earth, is unable to cover the entire sun, leaving the sun's visible outer edges to form a ‘ring of fire’ or annulus around the moon.

The annular solar eclipse was visible only in the southern states of India. While, people from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were able to see the annular solar eclipse, the rest of the country could only see it as a partial solar eclipse.