Global Courant 2023-04-20 00:06:01
A rare hybrid solar eclipse will be visible in some areas on Thursday. The next one will take place in 2031.
A rare celestial event is about to occur – a hybrid solar eclipse will be visible on Thursday.
Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is a Hybrid Solar Eclipse?
A hybrid eclipse is a type of solar eclipse that causes either an annular or a total solar eclipse, depending on where you are relative to the moon. During a hybrid solar eclipse, the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on the Earth. When the moon completely blocks the sun, it is called a total eclipse of the sun, and when the moon blocks the sun but appears smaller and leaves behind the outline of a solar ring, it is called an annular eclipse. When both occur, it is known as a hybrid eclipse. According to NASA, a hybrid eclipse begins as one type of solar eclipse and transitions into another. This happens because of the Earth’s surface is bent, and “sometimes an eclipse can shift between annular and total as the moon’s shadow moves across the globe.” A hybrid solar eclipse only occurs a few times per century. This combined image, made from three multiple exposures, shows the transition from right to left of a hybrid solar eclipse seen over Lake Oloiden near Naivasha, Kenya in 2013 (File: Ben Curtis/AP)
Where can the hybrid solar eclipse be viewed?
The central hybrid eclipse will occur Thursday from 02:37 GMT and last until about 05:56 GMT, according to EarthSky. During this solar eclipse, according to the publication Space. a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Southeast Asia, the East Indies, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand. The partial eclipse begins at 1:34 GMT and ends at 6:59 GMT on April 20.
Is it safe to watch a solar eclipse?
It’s never safe to look directly into the sun’s rays, and during a partial eclipse it’s important to always wear eclipse glasses, says NASA. The same advice applies to total solar eclipses until the sun is totally and completely blocked. However, it is very important to know when to stop viewing and put the glasses back on. NASA say that homemade filters or regular sunglasses, even very dark ones, “are not safe to look into the sun; they let through thousands of times too much sunlight.” The solar eclipse will also be streamed live by NASA via this link from 02:30 GMT. A total solar eclipse was visible from Argentina’s northern Patagonia region (File: Natacha Pisarenko/AP)
Will there be more eclipses this year?
If you are in africa, Asia or Australia, maybe you can witness a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5. This means that the moon appears darker because it is in the Earth’s shadow. An annular solar eclipse will be visible in South America on October 2. On October 14, another annular solar eclipse will be visible in North America, Central America, and South America. A partial lunar eclipse will occur on October 28 and can be seen in some parts of the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The next hybrid solar eclipse is expected to occur on November 14, 2031. The leaves of a tree are silhouetted by the moon during a partial lunar eclipse in Goyang, South Korea (File: Lee Jin-man/AP) (TagsToTranslate)News
What to know about this week’s rare hybrid
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