Thursday's annular eclipse wows early-risers across North America
Though 'annularity' would only have been visible in remote locations, even a partial glimpse of the eclipse was a treat for people up with the dawn.
There's already something special about a spring sunrise. Add in a solar eclipse, and it becomes a thing to be remembered for ages to come.
Early-risers, and people prepared to sacrifice a couple of hours of sleep for a killer view, were treated to a partial eclipse just as the sun was rising across the eastern half of North America.
With the moon at its furthers from the Earth, it wouldn't have covered the sun's face completely at totality, giving the appearance of a "ring of fire," hence the "annular" name for this kind of eclipse.
That would only have been visible to people living along a line spanning from northern Ontario through to the Canadian Arctic and Siberia. To others, it would simply have been a partial eclipse, but with a dawn-hour timing that would give it a magic of its own.
Below are a few shots of the eclipse as it appeared in the early hours of Thursday.
Thumbnail image by Alex Woods, Port Credit, Ont.
