Solar Eclipse On December 26: Various parts of India are able to witness the annular solar eclipse or surya grahan which began at 8am today, December 26. This eclipse if caught at its peak, will be seen as a ring of fire but is not a total solar eclipse. The annular solar eclipse occurs when a New Moon is farthest from the Earth but its shadow falls on the sun. The fire is the sun’s brilliance, shining behind the moon in the far part of its orbit around Earth. Locals in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kozhikode were able to catch the annular solar eclipse of 2019.