Tech2 news teamDecember 14, 2020 11:05:29 AM IST
The last and last total solar eclipse of this year will occur today. It will start at 08:03 pm IST and end at 11:24 pm IST. Since the eclipse will not occur during the day in India, it will not be visible to us and it is not in the path of the eclipse either. However, much of the southern tip of South America – that is, parts of Chile and Argentina – will sink into total darkness as the moon passes between Earth. According to Time and date, parts of South Africa, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica will be able to see at least one partial solar eclipse.
According to POTSometimes when the moon orbits the Earth, it moves between the sun and the Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the sunlight from reaching Earth. This causes an eclipse of the sun or a solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow on Earth.
The total solar eclipse of March 9, 1997 as seen from Chita, Russia. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
There are three types of solar eclipses:
The first is a total solar eclipse where the sun, the moon and the earth are in direct line. It is only visible from a small area of the Earth and the sky becomes very dark as if it were night.
The second is a partial solar eclipse that occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth are not exactly aligned. The sun appears to have a dark shadow on only a small part of its surface.
The third type is an annular solar eclipse where the moon is farthest from Earth and does not block the full view of the sun. This creates what looks like a ring around the moon.
According to Zee News, the best cities to see the partial solar eclipse would be Santiago (Chile), São Paulo (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lima (Peru), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Asunción (Paraguay).
The total eclipse will begin on December 14 at 20:02 PM IST and will peak at 21:43 PM IST. The total solar eclipse will end at 11:24 pm IST.
How to see it live?
For people who live in parts of the country where the eclipse is visible, they can go out and see the annual solar eclipse. However, it is important to maintain social distance due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to have adequate eye protection because looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye. If you are not in the areas where the eclipse is visible or do not want to go out, you can view the phenomenon online.
The next one will be a total lunar eclipse that will be on May 26, 2021 and will be visible in Southeast Asia, Australia, much of North America, South America, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica.
The next annular solar eclipse will occur on June 10, 2021 and will be visible in parts of Europe, much of Asia, Northwest Africa, much of North America, the Atlantic, and the Arctic.
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