Very rare total solar eclipse plunges Antarctica into darkness (VIDEO)

The world's coldest place also briefly became the darkest as Antarctica witnessed a rare total solar eclipse on Saturday.

The Sun, Moon and Earth aligned directly, plunging Western Antarctica, which enjoys constant daylight from October until April, into darkness.

The 'ring of fire' phase, when the Sun's corona is seen fully from behind the Moon, lasted in the black skies for some 40 seconds.

NASA broadcast the eclipse live for online audiences from the Union Glacier Camp, located some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north of the South Pole.

Only a handful of scientists and tourists, who doled out $40,000 for the trip, could see the astronomical spectacle with their own eyes.