Partial Solar Eclipse ” Ring Of Fire” Tomorrow

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The solar eclipse occurring on December 26 is not only the last one this year, but is also going to very special.Moon crosses the sun completely centrally.

During the eclipse, the Sun will appear as a‘Ring of fire’ for a brief moment.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible from across Nepal for about three hours from quarter to eight Thursday morning, according to B.P. Koirala Memorial Planetarium and Observatory and Science Museum Development Committee.

The eclipse can be viewed from  Kathmandu,Jhapa and Mahendranagar.

According to Kirtipur-based observatory of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology,it would allow visitors to view the partial eclipse, the last solar eclipse of the year, with the help of a telescope and the common people not to watch the eclipse with naked eyes, binoculars or telescopes because Staring at bright light might cause harm from temporary discomfort to permanent retinal damage.

It said even the reflection of the eclipse on X-ray plates, darkened mirrors and water would potentially harm the eyes.
Only the special glasses, with metallic plating, used by mountain climbers could be used to observe the eclipse, the release advised.

An annular solar eclipse occurs through a narrow corridor sweeping from the Arabian peninsula all the way to the Pacific Ocean via southern India, the bay of Bengal, Singapore and Indonesia. This path is known as the path of annularity.

According to observatory,This creates a beautiful “ring of fire” effect,  in a release it sent out to inform the common people on the science of eclipses.

A partial solar eclipse will also be witnessed from a much larger area of the globe including the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, southern and eastern Asia and north western Australia.
The annular phase of the eclipse begins in the desert of eastern Saudi Arabia. At this point, observers will enjoy 2 minutes and 59 seconds of annularity. However, the sun will only be just over 1 degree in altitude at sunrise on the eastern horizon.

The annular eclipse will then progress in to the Arabian sea after crossing Masirah Island.
The annular phase will not hit landfall until reaching the west coast of southern India. Here the annular path will cross this region in a south-easterly direction with the central line passing just 20 kilometres north of Coimbatore. Coimbatore, with a population of 1.6 million, will be the first major city to see the annular eclipse.

The path of annularity then progresses over the Palk Straight and across the northern tip of Sri Lanka where Jaffna, the capital of the Northern Province, will enjoy an annual solar eclipse lasting 2 minutes and 59 seconds.

What is Annular Eclipse;

The annular solar eclipse is a kind of total solar eclipse. Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned in a straight line. However, on that day, the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than the apparent size of the Sun. Only the central part of the Sun is obstructed. The circular edges of the Sun appear like a bright shining bangle.

The path of the Earth around the Sun and Moon around the Earth is elliptical. When the Earth goes around the elliptical path, at one point, usually around January 5, Earth will be closest to Sun and at another place farthest, generally around July 4. When an object is near, it appears bigger and when faraway appears smaller. When near, the Sun will look bigger and far, bit smaller. Similarly, the Moon passes through the two extreme points, closest and farthest points, about once a month. It takes 27.55 days to complete one revolution from the nearest location to the same position.

If a total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun is relatively closer and Moon far, the apparent size of the Sun will be bigger than the apparent size of the Moon. In that situation, the Moon will not be able to cover the full face of the Sun. While the central part is covered by the Moon, the edges of the Sun will stand out as a ‘Ring of fire’. This is called an annular eclipse.

On December 26, Sun is near to the closest point, and the apparent size will be about 1951 arc-seconds. The Moon, on the other hand, is not near its nearest location and hence its apparent magnitude will be about 1893 arc-seconds. Small Moon will not be able to obstruct the whole disc of the Sun.