Stunning PHOTOS of a rare solar eclipse

Parts of the world on Friday witnessed a solar eclipse -- a rare phenomenon in which the sun is completely obscured by the moon. Die-hard eclipse junkies have flown in to the Faroe Islands, a Danish autonomous territory, and Norway's Arctic Svalbard archipelago from around the world to observe the less than three minutes of daytime darkness, a phenomenon that has fascinated mankind since the beginning of time.

Let's take a look at glimpses of the spectacular eclipse

Image: The sun is pictured during a partial solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. Over Central Europe the moon was scheduled to cover approximately 75% of the sun for a short period starting at approximately 9:30am. The next solar eclipse will not occur until 2021. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Image: Students from Saint Ursula's Covent Secondary School in Greenwich pose for a photograph wearing protective glasses at the Royal Observatory Greenwich on March 20, 2015 in London, England. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty Images

Image: The moon covers a portion of the sun at 10:41am during a partial solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Image: A woman looks through a telescope outside The Royal Observatory Greenwich on March 20, 2015 in London, England. Photograph: Rob Stothard/Getty Images

Image: A rare partial solar eclipse is seen over Northamptonshire on March 20, 2015 in Northampton, England. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Image: A dove is pictures in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 in Muncih, Germany. Over Central Europe the moon was scheduled to cover approximately 75% of the sun for a short period starting at approximately 9:30am. The next solar eclipse will not occur until 2021. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images