'Ring of fire' annular solar eclipse, Doha, Qatar

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse

A solar eclipse is nothing more than an alignment of the sun, Earth and moon that has the earth passing through the moon's shadow. But why is an annular solar eclipse different? During this eclipse, the moon is the farthest from the Earth because of its elliptical orbit. Because of this, it appears smaller, letting the sun's brilliance peek through and create a halo—the 'ring of fire'. If you are ever fortunate enough to see this cosmic show, please be cautious. Viewers should not look directly at the sun without specialised eye protection.