It's a rare event in Portugal and Spain.

Thousands of people in those countries gathered Monday to catch a glimpse of a type of the solar eclipse that hasn't happened in more than 200 years.

The eclipse's three-and-a-half-hour path first passed over Portugal and Spain before heading to Africa.

During the event the moon masked the sun like a black plate, leaving a bright, fiery rim. In Madrid the eclipse could be seen taking a bite off the top of the sun.

One 12-year-old at Madrid's planetarium says he skipped school because he didn't want to miss the eclipse. The boy says he studied the celestial event all weekend.

The Iberian Peninsula hasn't witnessed an annular eclipse since April 1, 1764, and won't see another one until 2028.