However, if an eclipse occurs while the Moon is on the far side of its orbit, the Moon appears smaller than the Sun and can't completely cover it. Looking down from space, we would see that the Moon's umbral shadow is not long enough to reach Earth. Instead, the 'antumbral' or negative shadow reaches Earth. The track of the antumbra is called the path of annularity. If you are within this path, you will see an eclipse where a ring or 'annulus' of bright sunlight surrounds the Moon at the maximum phase.
Annular eclipses are also dangerous to look directly with the naked eye.
A nnularity can last as long as a dozen minutes, but is more typically about half that length. Since the annular phase is so bright, the Sun's gorgeous corona remains hidden from view. But annular eclipses are still quite interesting to watch. More annular eclipse photos are posted at Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery . This seven image sequence covers the entire 2.5 hour long annular eclipse of Feb 16, 1999.