New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS): Thick fog in several parts of the national capital blocked the view of the much-awaited annual solar eclipse here on Thursday morning.

The people of Delhi woke up to thick fog looming over the city with visibility of about 700 meters at 8.30 a.m. which deprived them of a glimpse of the solar eclipse.

The rare celestial spectacle started at 8.17 a.m. and will last till 10.57 a.m. in Delhi.

According to scientists, the solar eclipse will be fully visible only in the southern states of India.

People from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu would be able to see the annular solar eclipse, while the rest of the country would only be able to see a partial solar eclipse.

Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth.

An annular solar eclipse takes place when the moon's apparent diameter is smaller than that of the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light. This causes the Sun to look like a 'ring of fire'.

Partial phases of the solar eclipse will be visible from various parts of the country in varying magnitude, depending on its geographical position.

Besides India, the eclipse will be visible in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.