10 May, 2013 3:29PM ACST

Eclipse from the Centre

Tiny crescents appeared on the sandstone ledges around Anzac Hill as a small but dedicated group of 'pinhole projectionists' enjoyed this morning's eclipse

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"Ring the bells that still can ring; forget your perfect offering; there is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in." (from 'Anthem' - Leonard Cohen)

A delighted Meg Mcloskey was one of a handful of residents who headed up to Anzac Hill this morning to experience the rare annular eclipse from Alice Springs.

Although the prime location to see the 'ring of fire' was 500 kilometres north in Tennant Creek, there was still plenty of fun to be had closer to home.

"We found that wherever we had a tiny crack of light, the moon's crescent would be projected - it reminded me of that Leonard Cohen song!" she told ABC's Brendan Phelan.

Armed with some google knowledge on pinhole projection, she found to her delight that at the height of the eclipse, tiny crescents began to appear everywhere.

"There's another one on my hand...oh, there's one on your hand too!" she exclaims.

Field Reporter Brendan Phelan was on Anzac Hill this morning and in the middle of interviewing Meg when the crescents began to multiply.

Not only could you see the crescents via the pinhole projections but also on the shadows cast by people.

The projections were formed by the tiny chinks of light coming through people's fingers as they held up the paper or cardboard.

'Amazing' said Ben (who was supposed to be on his way to school.)

"When the Transit of Venus happened we did a similar thing - we could see Venus passing in front of the sun, so I guess it's the same concept, just the moon passing in front."

"I'm experimenting with moving my body closer and further away to the wall, obviously the crescent gets bigger the further you go away, but then the shadow is not as dark," says Lia Johnson-Strike.

"I should still be in bed, but it's interesting...I've never done this before."

Also lurking about on Anzac Hill this morning was Drew.

"I'm going to use the viewfinder out of my digital camera as a sunfilter so it should protect my eyes," he told Brendan.

"I'm probably going to take a peek but not too long...my eyesight's already failing so who cares." (NB: The ABC does not endorse this method)

Astronomer Melissa Hulbert said only people in and around Tennant Creek, about 500 kilometres from Alice Springs, would see the full spectacle.

"The disc of the moon appears slightly smaller than the disc of the sun in our sky, so when the moon is across the sun on Friday morning it won't completely cover the sun," she said.

"We'll see an annula, or a disc of sunlight, surrounding the moon ... what we call an annular eclipse."

(View a clever photo montage of this morning's eclipse taken near Tennant Creek by Naomi Wilson from the Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association)