The first solar eclipse of this year is going to occur on 20th of this month. Astronomers have named it hybrid solar eclipse.
During the rare celestial event, the moon will pass between Earth and the sun in such a way that people in its narrow central eclipse path will experience either an annular or a total eclipse, depending on where they are in relation to the moon.
The areas include parts of Australia, East Timor and Indonesia.
It will start on April 20 at 7:04 am and will continue till 1:29 pm. However, National Award-winning science broadcaster Sarika said that this solar eclipse will not be visible in India. It can only be seen in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific countries.
A total solar eclipse will be visible in the North West Cape of Western Australia. This hybrid solar eclipse was last seen in 2013. Astronomers claim that it will reappear only after about 140 years. The moon blocks the sun during a hybrid solar eclipse.
As the Moon’s shadow moves across Earth’s surface, the eclipse changes from a total solar eclipse to an annular (ring-shaped) eclipse.
A hybrid eclipse is a function of Earth’s curvature and the event’s path. Due to their proximity to the moon at the time, in some areas the moon will appear to be the same size as the sun — the conditions for a total eclipse — while people in other locations will perceive the moon to be smaller than the sun, in an annular eclipse.
