The Ningaloo hybrid solar eclipse won’t be visible in India, but you can still watch it through the live stream below. Also, here is everything you need to know about the “hybrid” eclipse, including the time at which it will happen and what will be seen in the sky.
A “hybrid” solar eclipse called the Ningaloo Eclipse is set to happen on April 20. Here is everything you need to know about it, including where it will be visible, at what time it will happen, and how you can view it.
The Ningaloo Eclipse is called a hybrid solar eclipse because in some parts of the world, it will go from an annular eclipse to a total before going back to an annular eclipse. During an annular eclipse, the Moon does not fully cover the Sun, instead, it will appear as a smaller dark disc superimposed on the Sun, creating a “ring of fire” effect.
The total solar eclipse will only be visible from some parts of Australia’s western coast. In fact, it gets the name “Ningaloo” from the Ningaloo coast in Australia. Unfortunately, no part of the eclipse, total or partial, will be visible to viewers in India.
But you can still view it through Time and Date’s live stream linked below. The live stream will be from a vantage point in Australia.
What time will the eclipse happen?
A total eclipse will only be visible in one town–Exmouth on the Western coast of Australia, according to the government of Western Australia.
When viewed from Exmouth, a partial solar eclipse will be visible for almost three hours, from 3.34 AM IST on April 20 to 6.32 AM IST. However, a total eclipse will be visible for a very short period of that time. From 4.29 AM IST to 4.30 AM IST.
Of course, if you are not in Western Australia during that time, you can still watch the total eclipse through the live stream shared above.
However, if you are in Southeast Asia, the East Indies, the Philippines, New Zealand and certain other parts of Australia, you will be able to view a partial eclipse happening, according to former NASA astrophysicist and eclipse expert Fred Espenak.
What is the difference between a total and annular eclipse? How will they look?
During a total eclipse, the Moon will completely block the face of the Sun when travelling in between it and our planet. This means that during a total eclipse, the sky will become completely dark as if it were early morning or late in the evening.
The total solar eclipse will only be visible to the viewers in the shadow of the Moon. And if the weather conditions are right, people in these regions might be able to catch a glimpse of the Sun’s corona or outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by the bright face of the star.
The Moon also passes between the Sun and Earth during an annular eclipse, but it will be too far from the Earth for a total eclipse. This means that the Moon will appear as a dark disc on a bright disc, or in other words, a “ring of fire.”
Since our planet has a curved surface, an eclipse can sometimes shift between annular and total as the Moon’s shadow moves across it. This is what is called a hybrid eclipse. During the Ningaloo eclipse, which is hybrid, some viewers might be able to see the eclipse going from annular to total and then back to annular.
Will there be a lunar eclipse after the solar eclipse?
Eclipses usually always come in pairs. The total solar eclipse on April 20 will be followed by a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5. But it will be a penumbral lunar eclipse, which means that the Sun, Earth and Moon are imperfectly aligned.
During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Moon only moves through the faint outer part of the Earth’s shadow. Because of this, a penumbral lunar eclipse is a little hard to differentiate from the normal phase of the Moon.
Source: Indian Express