A rare solar eclipse in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges was seen across parts of US and Asia

Joel Zdepski, uses binoculars to project the solar eclipse on a piece of paper as people look up to the sky to witness the solar eclipse from Monkey Face in Upper Bidwell Park Sunday, May 20, 2012 in Chico, California. The annular eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, was visible to wide areas across China, Japan and elsewhere in the region before moving across the Pacific to be seen in parts of the western United States. AP