What is an annular solar eclipse and why is everybody so excited about it?
If you were told you could see a ring of fire in the sky, wouldn’t you be excited to catch the phenomenon? This eclipse involves the moon coming in between the sun and the earth. But this eclipse, however, is going to be different as the moon will not be able to completely cover the sun. The edges of the sun will remain exposed giving an impression of a ‘ring of fire’.
When will I be able to see the eclipse?
The eclipse can be viewed from parts of the Southern Hemisphere, from countries such as Chile, Argentina, Angola, etc.
The partial eclipse will begin on February 26 at 1210 hours (UTC/GMT time). It will end at 1735 hours (UTC/GMT time).
The full eclipse will begin on February 26 at 1315 hours (UTC/GMT time) and will end at 1631 hours (UTC/GMT time).
Maximum eclipse will be at February 26, 1428 hours (UTC/GMT time).
This map shows the time-wise locations of the annular eclipse. The thick red line shows the travel path of the annular eclipse. (Image courtesy: NASA)
So do I just look up at the sky to watch the eclipse?
No! It is never safe to look directly at the sun. You need to wear protective eye gear to watch the eclipse without damaging your eyes.
How do I safely watch the eclipse?
It is important that you use a secondary viewing source, such as a reflection in water or a protective film over your eyes to watch the eclipse. Sun-glasses, even those with reflectors and/or UV ray filters, are not suitable for viewing an eclipse. You should also not use an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other types of optical devices.
Here’s how you can make a protective solar viewer yourself:
Follow these instructions to make yourself a protective eclipse viewer. (Image courtesy: NASA)
Points to note:
Put on your protective solar glasses or use a handheld solar viewer before you witness the eclipse. Make sure you do not remove it while you’re still looking at the eclipse. Remove it only when you have turned your face away. You can, however, remove your glasses to look at the eclipse with the naked eye only if you are within the path of totality and the moon has covered the sun completely, making the sky go dark. As soon as the light comes back up, put your glasses/solar viewer back on.
I don’t live in the Southern Hemisphere. Will I ever get to see an eclipse?
On August 21, 2017, a total eclipse will occur which will be visible to residents of North America. In this one, there will be no ring of fire as the moon will completely cover the Sun. This will be the first total eclipse over the US territory in almost four decades.
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