BackSolar eclipse 2016: when is it and how to see it
On Wednesday 9 March, a solar eclipse will occur in the Asia Pacific region, visible in varying degrees from Japan to Australia, with totality across Indonesia
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On Wednesday 9 March, a solar eclipse will occur in the Asia Pacific region, visible in varying degrees from Japan to Australia, with totality across Indonesia. The eclipse will also be visible in Hawaii, east of the international dateline, where it will still be Tuesday 8 March.
What is a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun thus casting a shadow over the Earth. It can only happen during a new moon—when the dark side of the moon is facing the Earth.
According to the National Geographic this particular eclipse is even more special: It’s happening while the moon is at its closest point to Earth—called perigee—making the moon appear larger in the sky, also called as a supermoon.
On Wednesday, the moon will cast its dark central shadow, called the umbra, onto a very narrow strip along the surface of the Earth. The strip from which the upcoming total eclipse will be visible lies mostly over the Pacific Ocean. The moon’s dark shadow will first fall over Sumatra, then across central Borneo, Sulawesi, moving across the International Date Line into March 8. The shadow will pass quickly north eastward across the Pacific Ocean until it vanishes near Hawaii.
Who can see the eclipse?
In India, people of Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and a few other areas in peninsular and northeast India will witness a total solar eclipse on Wednesday morning, according to SkyMet weather. Unfortunately, the eclipse is only partially visible in India and completely absent from west and northwest India, which means those in Delhi and Mumbai will not be able to see the rare phenomenon. The residents of Port Blair will be able to see the eclipse for the maximum duration. Here, the moon will block 49% of the sun, darkening the island capital for quite some time. In the east and northeast India, Kolkata will see 18.5% of the sun obscured, while the moon will block 24.5% of the sun in Bhubaneswar. Guwahati, Patna, and a few other cities in the region will also be able to see the solar eclipse.
The Guardian has published the key centres that will experience a total solar eclipse along the route of the eclipse. (all time is local):
Palembang, Sumatra: 7.21am
Palu, Sulawesi: 8.38am
Ternate, Malaku: 9.53am
These cities will also see their peak partial eclipse at the following (local) times:
Bangkok, Thailand: 7.32am
Singapore: 8.23am
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 8.23am
Manila, Philippines: 8.58am
Darwin, Australia: 10.17am
Cairns, Australia: 11.12am
How to watch the eclipse?
Experts warn that an eclipse should never be viewed with the naked eye as the sun’s ultraviolet rays can be damaging.
Astronomers recommend using either a professionally manufactured solar filter in front of a telescope or camera, or eclipse-viewing glasses that sufficiently reduce the sun’s brightness and filter out damaging ultraviolet and infrared radiation.
Another way to see it is to make your own pinhole camera—that requires poking a hole in a box, and putting some paper over the back of it.
What if you miss this time?
The next solar eclipse can be only seen on 26 December 2019. The upcoming eclipse has occurred after four long years. And the last eclipse was observed on 4 January 2011 that was only visible in a few parts of north India.
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