The sky above the southern Indian Ocean is about to be lit by a blazing “ring-of-fire” solar eclipse.

The stunning display will be visible to people living across parts of the Middle East and Africa – who should as ever follow the guidelines for looking at the Sun. But the safer option for viewing it is on the internet.

A normal solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, blocking out our star when viewed from earth. A ring-of-fire eclipse is also known as an annular eclipse and happens when the eclipse isn’t entirely total – because of the movement of the moon, some of the sun is visible around the outside of the moon, leaving a blazing ring of fire around the outside of the dark moon.

Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world Show all 26 1 /26 Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A lunar eclipse is visible in Scottish Borders, the result of the Moon starting to move into the Earth's shadow. PA Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A total eclipsed moon is seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. GETTY IMAGES Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A total eclipsed moon is pictured as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. GETTY IMAGES Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A picture taken in New York shows the moon in the early stages of a lunar eclipse on December 21, 2010. GETTY IMAGES Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A lunar eclipse is visible in Scottish Borders, the result of the Moon starting to move into the Earth's shadow PA Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is pictured during a circle of a total eclipse as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is pictured during a circle of a total eclipse as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is pictured during a circle of a total eclipse as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon during a cycleof a total eclipse ais seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A total eclipsed moon is pictured as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A picture taken in New York shows the moon as a total eclipse nears its peak on December, 21, 2010. During the eclipse, the Earth will align between the full moon and the sun, covering the lunar surface in shadow. The eclipse is also falling on the same day as the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in 372 years. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A picture taken in Manassas, Virginia shows the moon as the total eclipse reaches its peak on December, 21, 2010. During the eclipse, the Earth will align between the full moon and the sun, covering the lunar surface in shadow. The eclipse is also falling on the same day as the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in 372 years. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A total eclipsed moon is seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is pictured during its circle of a total eclipse as seen from Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 21, 2010. This eclipse takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A picture taken in Manassas, Virginia shows the moon as the total eclipse reaches its peak on December, 21, 2010. During the eclipse, the Earth will align between the full moon and the sun, covering the lunar surface in shadow. The eclipse is also falling on the same day as the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere a rare occurrence that hasn't happened in 372 years. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world In this handout photo provided by NASA, A total lunar eclipse is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, on December 21, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. It is the first lunar eclipse that has coincided with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, since 1638. Getty Images/ NASA Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon shadowed by the Earth is seen during a total eclipse on February 20, 2007 in Mexico city. Total lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all in alignment and the Moon travels into the broad cone of shadow cast by the Earth. The Moon does not become invisible, though, because there is still residual sunlight that is deflected towards it by the Earth's atmosphere, most of which is light in the red part of the spectrum. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world This file picture taken on February 21, 2008 is combo picture of five images showing various stages of the lunar eclipse as seen in Sofia. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is seen partially eclipsed at is rises in cloudy skies over the San Francisco Bay Bridge February 20, 2008 in San Francisco, California. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon is partly covered in the Earth's shadow during a phase of the lunar eclipse February 20, 2008 in Miami, Florida. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world This combination picture shows different stages of the moon over the sky of Mexico City during a total lunar eclipse on February 20, 2008. Total lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all in alignment and the Moon travels into the broad cone of shadow cast by the Earth. The Moon does not become invisible, though, because there is still residual sunlight that is deflected towards it by the Earth's atmosphere, most of which is light in the red part of the spectrum. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A palm tree blows in the breeze as the moon is covered in the Earth's shadow during a phase of the lunar eclipse February 20, 2008 in Miami, Florida. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world A total lunar eclipse is seen on February 20, 2008 over Panama City, Panama. The Moon turned an eerie shade of red for people in the western hemisphere, recreating the eclipse that saved Christopher Columbus more than five centuries ago. In a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth and Moon are directly aligned and the Moon swings into the cone of shadow cast by the Earth. Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon enters and emerges from the earth's shadow during a total eclipse of the moon on February 20, 2008 over in Titusville, Florida in this composite photograph of the stages from partial (L) to total (C) and back to partial (R). Getty Images Lunar eclipse delight for sky watchers around the world The moon appears red during a total lunar eclipse from Mexico City on February 20, 2008. Total lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all in alignment and the Moon travels into the broad cone of shadow cast by the Earth. Getty Images

As such, it can arguably be more stunning than the normal total eclipse. The blazing orange of the sun can be seen more brightly than the darkness of the total solar eclipse, giving the event its dramatic name and lending an extra spectacle.

The changes are the result of the egg-shaped orbit that the moon takes around Earth. Because the distance between the moon the Earth changes over time, so does the apparent size of the moon when it’s set against the Sun.

The eclipse will be best visible on Africa’s west coast, in countries including Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

People looking at it there should either use special glasses or other kit like projectors. Nobody should ever look straight at the sun, even during an eclipse.

But it will also be visible online. Websites including Slooh will be running live streams so that people around the world can see it.

It will be visible through the morning of 1 September.

If you missed this one, the next solar eclipse will be a ring of fire. It will happen on 26 February next year, and will be visible across South America.