Total solar eclipse thrills in Antarctica, surrounding regions

A total solar eclipse, the only one in 2021, took place on Saturday and was visible from Antarctica and the surrounding regions. 

The solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the face of the sun, partially or completely blocking it out from the Earth's perspective.

It occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are in a direct line.

Where can I see the eclipse?

While the total eclipse could only be seen in Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina, and other countries in the far south of the world, will be able to catch glimpses of it.

LIVE from Antarctica: A total eclipse of the Sun. Totality is at 2:44am ET (07:44 UT): https://t.co/HH1sEaccXd pic.twitter.com/oRQmGwtd2U

— NASA (@NASA) December 4, 2021

The partial solar eclipse began at 2 am EST (0700 GMT), reaching the greatest point of the total solar eclipse at 2:33 a.m. EST (0733 GMT).

The partial eclipse finally ended at 3:06 a.m. (0806 GMT), according to NASA.

Saturday's event was also being live-streamed by NASA.

"Weather permitting, NASA TV will air a view of the Dec. 4, 2021, total solar eclipse from Union Glacier, Antarctica," the US space agency said.

Total solar eclipses allow researchers to study how switching the Sun on and off affects space weather.

The northern hemisphere witnessed a partial solar eclipse earlier this year where the moon at least partially obscured the sun for a few hours.