Residents of Ghana's capital Accra filled the streets to observe the event as the lunar shadow reached the country at 0910 GMT.
ACCRA: The moon blotted out the sun over northwest Africa early on Wednesday, turning day into night in a total solar eclipse as it swept a shadowy path from the outer tip of Brazil to the steppes of Mongolia.
Residents of Ghana's capital Accra filled the streets to observe the event -- the fourth total eclipse of the 21st century -- as the lunar shadow reached the country at 0910 GMT.
The umbra was to track eastwards in a dizzying three-hour celestial ballet across Africa and the Middle East before expiring in Asia, covering a distance of about 14,500 km.
“It's the first time I've seen an eclipse," said Sylvia Boateng, 35, as she stood on an Accra street.
"I'm so emotional. And I'm also happy because now I'll be able to say to my grandchildren: 'I was there'."
Countries lying directly under the eclipse were Brazil, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Libya, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, where the eclipse would end at 1148 GMT.
Observers would get a partial eclipse some 2,500 km either side of the path of totality, with about a fifth of the sun to be obscured in Britain, southern Sweden and the southern Gulf.
Eclipses should never be viewed without proper optical filters or glasses specially designed to filter out ultraviolet light, which is invisible to the human eye but can burn the retina even when the sun is covered.
Ophthalmologists have sounded a special warning for Africa, where makeshift eyewear, fake viewing glasses, poverty and ignorance could leave people with a blank spot in the centre of their vision. Countries have imported millions of glasses to tackle the risk.
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