Sapphire Princess passengers viewed the annular solar eclipse that occurred early afternoon on Boxing Day (December 26, 2019), along the Straits of Malacca.
Over 2,600 guests from around the globe embarked on Sapphire Princess in Singapore on December 17 for an 11-day cruise around Southeast Asia with ports of call including Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Sihanoukville, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Port Klang before arriving back in Singapore on December 28.
Crew and guests were provided with solar filter glasses to safely view the eclipse. Hundreds of guests gathered on the ship's upper deck to witness the phenomenon.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving the visible outer edges of the Sun to form a “ring of fire” around the Moon. It is a rare “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The last solar eclipse visible from Singapore was more than 20 years ago (back in 1998). The next solar eclipse will be seen from the port city in 2063.