First solar eclipse of 2022 seen across South America, Antarctica

The first solar eclipse of the year took place Saturday and was viewable from parts of South America and Antarctica.

April 30 (UPI) -- The first solar eclipse of the year took place Saturday and was viewable from parts of South America and Antarctica.

A live stream of the partial solar eclipse began at 3:30 p.m. EDT and ended when the sun sunk below the horizon.

"If skies are clear, this eclipse is visible from South America, parts of Antarctica, and over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans," according to TimeandDate.com.

Skywatchers near the coast of Antarctica would have been able to see the solar eclipse starting to form at 2:45 p.m. EDT, and the maximum eclipse by 4:41 p.m., before it ended at 6:37 p.m., a chart from TimeandDate.com shows.

The eclipse is the first of two partial solar eclipses, where the moon blocks a portion of the sun, to occur this year.

The second partial eclipse will take place Oct. 25, and may be visible for skywatchers in Europe, western Asia and northeast Africa.

NASA warns skywatchers to always use proper eye protection such as eclipse glasses, and never look directly at the sun, which is unsafe.