The first solar eclipse of this year is just hours away. People are ready to witness the ‘Ring of Fire’ as it will be partially witnessed in some regions of India. Only Ladhakh and Arunanchal Pradesh will get to see the marvelous astronomical event in India. Also, people in the parts of the Northern Hemisphere will get a chance to watch the dramatic annular solar eclipse.
“People in parts of Canada, Greenland and northern Russia will experience the annular eclipse...viewers in parts of the eastern United States and northern Alaska will also witness a partial solar eclipse along with much of Canada and parts of the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and northern Africa,” said NASA.
The solar eclipse is a common phenomenon that takes place across the world. But this time the solar eclipse is special as it would be an annular solar eclipse, a ring of fire would be formed around the Moon when it would come in the center of the Sun and the Earth.
Entire "Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse will last for around 100 munites, starting at sunrise in Ontario, Canada. Then it will move towards the polar regions. The ‘ring of fire’ will last only for around 3 mins and 51 secs in the path of annularity.
Also Read: Explained: What is special about the solar eclipse falling on June 10
What is Annular Solar Eclipse?
An annular Solar Eclipse happens when the Moon is farthest to the Earth, and because of the distance Moon seems smaller. Hence, the moon only covers the center of the Sun forming a dark disk. The dark disk is covered with a sun-colored ring therefore, it appears as a ring of fire around the Moon.
During the Solar Eclipse, the Moon casts two types of shadows – Umbra and Penumbra. Umbra gets smaller as it reaches the Earth. It is the dark center of the Moon’s shadow and people standing underneath it will see a total solar eclipse. On the other hand, the penumbra gets larger as it reaches the Earth, and the people standing underneath it will see the partial solar eclipse.
It is advised, not to see this fire of ring naked eyes as it could damage the eyes. Proper safety equipment, goggles should be used to see the eclipse.