Astronomical events have always fascinated humans. Some occur every year, while others take place after a long time. One such celestial event is solar eclipse. The interesting part about this eclipse is that it is not visible everywhere on Earth. So, what is the reason behind this?
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between Earth and the Sun. In this process, the moon casts a shadow over Earth. The moon moves over the sun during the day and it becomes dark as the sunlight gets blocked.
Since Moon is smaller as compared to the Sun and Earth, its shadow on Earth isn’t very big. As a result, only some places on the planet get to witness the phenomenon. People who are on the sunny side of Earth and in the path of the moon’s shadow can see the solar eclipse, while others miss it.
“On average, the same spot on Earth only gets to see a solar eclipse for a few minutes about every 375 years,” says the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
This Sunday, some parts of the planet will see the annular solar eclipse. However, this will be different from a total solar eclipse. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon does not completely cover up the sun, due to which a ‘ring of fire’ is left out. That’s why this eclipse is also called the ring of fire eclipse.
The event taking place on June 21 will be visible from most parts of Africa, southeast Europe and most of Asia, with a partial eclipse visible in northern Australia. It will begin at 9.15 am IST and end at 3.04pm, with the peak at 12.10 pm.
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