'Ring of fire' solar eclipse is heading to our skies for summer solstice

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, These photos show how the Moon moved across the Sun last year

A 'ring of fire' solar eclipse is coming!

This is the first solar eclipse of 2020, and it takes place during the summer solstice, which, depending on where you are in the world, is on 20 or 21 of June.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, blocking it's light.

This solar eclipse is special because it is an 'annular solar eclipse'. This means that the Moon is too far away to completely hide the Sun's light, so a little bit of it still peeks around the edge, making it look like a shining ring in the sky - which is where it gets the nickname 'ring of fire' eclipse.

However the eclipse will only be visible in the sky to people living in certain parts of the world.

"A narrow stripe from Africa to the Pacific Ocean will see the Moon in front of the Sun (blocking 99.4% of the Sun at its peak in northern India) such that only a bright ring is visible," said NASA.

Image source, Hindustan Times/getty

Image caption, These kids in India watched a partial solar eclipse last December using special solar glasses

Some parts of Europe may be able to see a partial eclipse, and some telescopes are streaming the event online for everyone to see.

Be careful! If you are trying to watch the solar eclipse, you should never look directly at the Sun, as you could damage your eyes - you should use special solar glasses or make a pinhole camera instead.

There will be one more solar eclipse this year on 14 December, which will be a total eclipse, meaning the Moon completely blocks the Sun's rays. It will mainly be visible to people in Chile and Argentina.