A treat for all the sky-aficionados, today, on 21 June 2020, a narrow band from west Africa to the Arabian peninsula, India and southern China will witness, what has been called by The Guardian “the most dramatic ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse in years”.
When the Moon is so far from Earth that its relative size fails to cover the Sun completely, thus leaving the outer rims visible, a ‘ring of fire’ is formed in the sky.
This solar eclipse is the first solar eclipse of the year 2020.
Quoting the Nehru Planetarium, The Indian Express informs, “Bhuj will be the first city in India from where the beginning of the eclipse will be visible at 9.58 am. The eclipse will end four hours later at 2.29 pm.”
The aforementioned Guardian article continues, “It will reach ‘maximum eclipse’, with a perfect solar halo around the moon, over Uttarakhand near India’s border with China just after midday. The exact alignment will only last for 38 seconds.”
This eclipse coincides with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere when Earth’s north pole is tilted most directly toward the sun.
Important: Looking at the Sun directly during an eclipse can cause permanent damage to the retina. Sunglasses, which do not filter out UV rays, do not offer any protection, so it is recommended to use welder’s shield, special goggles or pin-hole imaging techniques to view the solar eclipse.
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