New Delhi:
As the world prepares to bid goodbye to the year 2019, there is a celestial treat in store for the skywatchers. On December 26, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in India along with several other countries. It is to be noted that this will be the last solar eclipse of the year and it will happen when the Moon covers the sun's centre, leaving the sun's visible outer edges to form a "ring of fire" or annulus - around the moon.
Apart from India, the citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam will be able to watch the partial solar eclipse.
According to a report of NDTV’s Gadgets 360, the partial eclipse will appear at the first location at 7:59:53 AM (IST) on December 26. It will after that reach the full eclipse stage at 9:04:33 AM (IST). Later, it will move to the maximum eclipse position at 10:47:46am IST. The solar eclipse will last for a maximum of 3.40 minutes.
It is very important for skywatchers to wear eye protection to watch the partial solar eclipse.
“The maximum obstruction of the sun during the eclipse when seen from different cities of India will be 89.4 per cent in Bengaluru, 84.6 per cent in Chennai, 78.8 per cent in Mumbai, 74.3 per cent in Hyderabad, 66 per cent in Ahmedabad and 44.7 per cent in Delhi,” PTI quoted the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) as saying.
“In Kolkata, the eclipse will be seen 45.1 per cent and will begin at 08:26:55 am, reach its maximum at 09:52:37 am and end at 11:32:37 am,” BTIM added.
“The ring of fire will not be seen from all places in India but from places like Kannur in Kerala and along the southern coast of the country,” a BITM official explained.
It is worth mentioning here that the annular eclipse will, however, appear as a partial eclipse in thousands of kilometers area elsewhere where the ring will not be seen.
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Importantly, the first lunar eclipse of 2020 will be held on January 10. Unfortunately, the eclipse won't be noticeable due to its penumbral nature that is hard to determine from a usual full Moon session.
