A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth.
The first solar eclipse or Surya Grahan of 2022 is set to take place on April 30. This will be the first of the two partial solar eclipses in 2022.
People in parts of southern South America, Antarctica, and the Pacific and Southern Oceans will have a chance to witness a partial eclipse of the Sun just before and during sunset.
1. Solar Eclipse
)
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun’s light in some areas.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the moon blocks only a portion of the solar disk. In this case, roughly 64% of the sun's disk will be blotted out at most, according to NASA.
(Pic: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio)
2. Timings
)
The eclipse will begin at 12:15 pm IST and end at 4:07 pm IST. According to Earthsky.org, the eclipse will reach its maximum phase at 4:41 p.m. EDT (eastern daylight time) when the axis of the moon's shadow cone will pass closest to Earth's centre.
(Pic: NASA/Ridwan Arifiandi)
3. Where to watch?
)
The eclipse will not be visible in India, but people in South and West-South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Antarctic Ocean will be able to see it.
The Sun will appear partially eclipsed for those with clear skies in Chile, Argentina, most of Uruguay, western Paraguay, southwestern Bolivia, southeastern Peru, and a small area of southwestern Brazil.
(Pic: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
4. How to watch a partial eclipse safely?
)
Solar viewing or eclipses glasses are not regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses are not safe for viewing the Sun. Also, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without a safe solar filter, even if the Sun is partly or mostly obscured.
When watching a partial solar eclipse, you must wear solar viewing or eclipse glasses throughout the entire eclipse if you want to face the Sun.
(Pic: NASA)
5. Another solar eclipse in 2022
)
There will be another solar eclipse later this year on October 25, however, it will also not be visible in India.
