] A partial eclipse of the Sun surrounded by strange
] circumstances is on tap for Saturday, May 31 and will be
] visible in parts of North America, Europe and the Middle
] East. The event could be quite spectacular at sunrise in
] Europe, especially in the United Kingdom.
]
] Looking directly at the Sun is dangerous, so proper
] viewing techniques (below) are necessary.
]
] The most impressive aspect of the event will be an
] annular, or ring eclipse, so named because the
] Moon%u2019s disk will be too small to completely cover
] the Sun%u2019s disk. The result is a ring of fire
] surrounding the black circle of the Moon. It's like a
] dull penny sitting atop a shiny nickel.
]
] Annular eclipses can occur because the Moon's orbit
] around Earth is not quite a circle. When the Moon is
] closer to Earth than average, a total solar eclipse can
] occur. When it is farther than average, an annular
] eclipse can result. The annular eclipse will be visible
] across a sparsely populated swath of Earth from Scotland
] to the Canadian Arctic.