Australians were treated to a rare annular eclipse this morning.

Brisbanites took up vantage points around the city, and despite a bit of cloud cover, many enjoyed a good show.

Amy Psaltis reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Distinguished by its unique ‘ring of fire’, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun leaving a ring of light in the sky.

Dr Karl: “Perth will have a lot, Darwin will have a lot, they’ll be having 79% with the sun covered. Down in Sydney it will be about 30 something per cent and then more as you go further north.”

These sky-gazers at Mount Coot-tha witnessed a partial eclipse, with 44% of the sun covered.

Observers in the Northern Territory and far North Queensland had the best view.

Tennant Creek and the Cape York Peninsula enjoyed over four minutes of the annular eclipse.

Those fortunate enough to see the annular eclipse could also see flashes of light, known as Baily’s beads, shining through the moon’s mountains and valleys.

The last annular eclipse seen in Australia occurred in 1999, the next one won’t occur until March 2035.

Amy Psaltis, QUT News.