Yet another celestial event that has been associated with the sentiments of several religions throughout the history of mankind is set to take place today. As the moon casts its shadow over Earth, a vast stretch on the planet will observe a solar eclipse on Tuesday. What makes it even rarer and more interesting is the fact that some of these areas will even see a total solar eclipse, meaning complete darkness during the day for several minutes.?
The solar eclipse will begin as the moon starts covering the sun¡¯s silhouette, around 3:22 p.m. local time in Chile (10:25 pm IST). For all those wondering about the solar eclipse¡¯s duration, its peak (total solar eclipse) timings, the affected regions and even how it happens, here is what you need to know:
For those unaware, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and the Earth, thus blocking a part of the sun from Earth¡¯s view. The visible effect on the Earth is a partial shadow of the moon in some areas of the planet.?
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely blocks the sun¡¯s light, a rarer event than a regular solar eclipse. Earthlings will observe a total solar eclipse on Tuesday for a total of four minutes, 33 seconds, when the noon sky will become completely dark.
A series of photographs depicting the various stages of a solar eclipse. (Image: Reuters)
Timings of Tuesday¡¯s total solar eclipse
Today¡¯s solar eclipse will begin at 10:25 pm IST, when the moon will start covering the sun, producing a dark silhouette on the bottom-left corner of the sun. As the moon will rise upwards, the silhouette will begin to cover the entire sun.?
The sun will soon be half hidden by the moon and only a crescent of the sun will be visible, as the light around it will start to change in colour, becoming dimmer.??
Just as the eclipse approaches totality, shadow bands - thin wavy alternating lines of light and dark - will become visible around the sun. At around 11:54 pm IST, the sun will be totally engulfed by the moon¡¯s shadow on Earth, causing a total solar eclipse. For the next 4 minutes and 33 seconds, several regions around the globe will experience total darkness in the middle of noon.?
Total solar eclipse creating the effect of a diamond ring. (Image: Reuters)
Unfortunately, the total solar eclipse will not be visible in India, as it will mostly transcend over the Pacific Ocean and the South American countries. The eclipse will follow an 11,000 km path, mostly over the open ocean. Even the totality of the solar eclipse will begin over the ocean, with Chile being the first country to observe it afterwards, a full two-minutes after the totality starts.?
The countries which will be able to observe the solar eclipse are Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, with only the first two being able to see the total solar eclipse.?
Interestingly, enthusiasts living in other countries can still watch the solar eclipse online. NASA will be streaming the solar eclipse live as it takes place and you can watch it below: