Much of Asia is preparing the glimpse an annular solar eclipse Sunday (21 June).

The phenomenon is often called a "Ring of Fire" eclipse because, unlike a normal eclipse, the moon doesn't fully cover the sun, leaving a rim of golden sunlight still visible.

According to NASA, views of the eclipse will begin in central Africa around 03:50GMT Sunday (21 June), then move east through Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, parts of India, and China.

Chiayi City in Taiwan, which is expecting to have "maximum" views of the phenomenon, is holding a public event at a park, where people can observe the entire process, starting around 06.50GMT.

Annular eclipses, considered far less important to astronomers than total eclipses of the sun, occur about 66 times a century and can only be viewed by people in the narrow band along its path.

The last annular eclipse was in December 2019, the next is expected in June 2021.