Sun, moon put on show

The annular eclipse of the sun over the Pacific island of Tinian at 8:12 a.m. local time Tuesday.

(CNN) -- A solar eclipse gave people in much of Asia and North America a dazzling show Monday.

The moon partially obscuring the sun to create an annular, or ring-shaped, eclipse. The eclipse came at sunset along the western coast of the United States, Mexico and Canada -- leaving only a crescent to sink into the evening sky.

As much as 70 percent of the sun was hidden from view in Los Angeles, while people in Guadalajara, Mexico, saw just a setting sliver of light.

EXTRA INFORMATION Map and chart: Where the eclipse was visible    CNN NewsPass VIDEO Residents of Asia and North America were treated to a solar eclipse that left 97 percent of the sun obscured in the South Pacific and up to 70 percent hidden in parts of the Western U.S. (June 11) Play video Watch the animation of an annular eclipse Play video

In the South Pacific, more than 97 percent of the sun was covered.

"If you're in the path, you'd see, instead of a typical sunset, an extremely thin ring -- a ring of fire -- setting into the ocean," Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist and eclipse expert at NASA, told The Associated Press.

The eclipse lasted about two hours.

People on the East Coast of the United States missed the show. The sun had already set by the time the eclipse started.

An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is farther from the Earth than during a total eclipse. When the moon is closer, it appears to be the same size or larger than the sun, blocking the entire disk.