A partial solar eclipse began Tuesday in the skies over Pakistan and the Mideast and will extend across much of Europe.

In Pakistan, the eclipse will end at 4:01 PM local time.

In cloudy winter skies over Jerusalem, the sun appeared to have a large bite taken out of its upper right section.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth, casting a lunar shadow on the Earth's surface and obscuring the solar disk. During a partial solar eclipse, only part of the sun is blotted out.

A sunset eclipse will be visible from central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.