Spectators on the icy Norwegian islands of Svalbard cheered and clapped as they watched the moon eclipse the sun.

The solar event lasted for about 2.5 minutes, and a ring of fire - the corona - was clearly visible under clear skies.

While the total eclipse could only be seen in Svalbard and the Faroe Islands, a partial one thrilled people across parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Sky gazers used safety glasses, viewing boxes and even exposed x-ray film to protect their eyes while admiring the celestial spectacle.

A partial solar eclipse is seen from near Bridgwater, England.

A total solar eclipse occurs over Svalbard in Norway.

The so-called "Eclipse Flight" from the Russian city of Murmansk observed the solar eclipse above the Norwegian Sea.

The eclipse in seen above a mosque in Oxford.

The solar eclipse is seen over Stonehenge.

Six-year-old Ellis Knapton views the eclipse at Bradgate Park in Newtown Linford.

Pupils pose with their safety glasses as they view a partial solar eclipse through thick fog in Herten, Germany.

A girl holds a home-made protective viewing box during a partial solar eclipse in Greenwich.

People watch a partial solar eclipse from the grounds of Belfast Zoo.

People look up to view a partial solar eclipse around the Giza Pyramids.

A man uses protective glasses to watch a partial eclipse of the sun in Athens.

Women watch a partial eclipse of the sun through a broken CD in Sarajevo.