SKYGAZERS across the UK were treated to a rare celestial show on Thursday morning as observers witnessed a crescent sun during a partial solar eclipse.

Despite cloudy skies, astronomy enthusiasts were able to see nearly a third of the sun being blocked out by the moon.

The Northern Echo's Camera Club were no exception, and took these stunning images of the event.

However, those in central and south-east England had clear spells to witness the celestial spectacle, according to the Met Office.

Parts of the US, Canada, Europe and Asia witnessed an annular eclipse – where the sun appeared in the sky as a very bright ring, or annulus, in a phenomenon dubbed the “ring of fire”.

Observers in the UK and Ireland saw a crescent sun instead of a ring, as this was a partial eclipse.

The phenomenon began at 10.08am UK time, reaching maximum coverage at 11.13am, before ending at 12.22pm.

The next partial solar eclipse will take place in October 2022, and will be visible across Europe, north-east Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia.

But the next annular eclipse, featuring the ring of fire, is not expected to take place until 2090, with the phenomenon lasting less than four minutes. The Royal Observatory Greenwich live-streamed the eclipse.