Amazing photographs of a partial eclipse have been captured in the skies above Merseyside today.
The eclipse, which took place this morning, saw a third of the sun being blocked out by the moon in what is known as an annular eclipse.
An annular eclipse happens when the sun and moon come exactly in line with the Earth, although the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun.
This causes the sun to appear as a very bright ring, or annulus, in a phenomenon which is known as the "ring of fire".
With a partial eclipse, observers in the UK and Ireland were expected to see a crescent sun instead of a ring.
People across Merseyside have shared their remarkable images of the partial eclipse in the skies over Merseyside today.
ECHO photographer Colin Lane captured stunning images of the illuminated ring around the partial eclipse while out in Liverpool this morning.
The phonemenon was visible from 10.08am in the UK, with the maximum eclipse occurring at around 11.13am, when the moon covered close to one-third of the sun.
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Although partial cloud was predicted by the Met Office to cover the skies in some parts of the UK, the clouds didn't stop skygazers capturing some remarkable photographs of the rare event.
Over on the Wirral, ECHO reader James MacAllistair, was out in his front garden in New Brighton hoping to get a glimpse of the partial eclipse and used his mobile phone to capture a remarkable shot above the skies at the Wirral seaside town.
Back in Liverpool, ECHO photographer Andy Teebay focused on the Strand and Liverpool's iconic Liver Building.
He captured a haunting shot of the partial eclipse lighting up the sky above one of the city's Liver Birds.
While solar eclipses happen on average 2.4 times a year, they are often partial, with the last big solar eclipse to reach Merseyside skies occurring in 2015, when it blocked out nearly 90% of the sun’s rays, creating the biggest blackout since 1999.
The next full solar eclipse in the UK is not due to grace our skies until September 23, 2090, although another partial solar eclipse will take place in the UK next year on October 25.
