The annular solar eclipse, popularly known as ‘ring of fire eclipse’ will be visible this Sunday, Ministry of Science and Technology said.

The first solar eclipse of this year takes place on the summer solstice, which is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.

While people living along the path annular eclipse passing through Anupgarh, Suratgarh, Sirsa, Jakhal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Dehradun, Tapowan and Joshimath will be able to see the annular phase, people in rest of India can witness a partial eclipse, the ministry said.

When Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, the shadow falls on the surface of the Earth. The Sun is entirely covered by the Moon for a brief period. Those places that are engulfed by the dark, dense umbral shadow of the Moon experience the total solar eclipse.

In the regions that plunge into the soft diffused penumbral shadow of the Moon experience the partial eclipse. In all solar eclipse the Sun, Moon and Earth may not be perfectly aligned, and then we only have a partial eclipse. When the three celestial bodies happen to be in a straight line, we have Total solar eclipse.

“Annular solar eclipse is a particular case of the total solar eclipse. Like the total solar eclipse, the Moon is aligned with the Sun. However, on that day, the apparent size of the Moon happens to be a wee smaller than the Sun.  Hence the Moon covers the central part of the Sun, and the rim of the Sun appear like a ‘ring of fire’ in the sky for a very brief moment” explains Samir Dhurde of The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.

Table 1

Sites where the annular eclipse will be seen.

Site                 Begins            Max                 End              duration

Dehra Dun     10:24 AM       12:05 PM       1:50 PM         14.0

Gharsana      10:12 AM       11:50 AM       1:36 PM         29.8

Kalanka         10:28 AM       12:10 PM       1:55 PM         28.0

Kurukshetra   10:21 AM       12:01 PM       1:47 PM        30.4

The Moon will cover about 99.5 % area of the Sun.

Table 2 

Sites where partial eclipse will be seen

Site                 Begins              Max              End            %cover

Agra                10:19 AM       12:02 PM       1:50 PM         90

Ahmedabad  10:03 AM       11:41 AM        1:32 PM          82

Amritsar         10:19 AM       11:57 AM       1:41 PM          94

Bengaluru    10:12 AM       11:47 AM        1:31 PM           47

Bhuj                09:58 AM       11:33 AM       1:23 PM         86

Chennai        10:22 AM       11:58 AM       1:41 PM         46

Dibrugarh      11:07 AM       12:54 PM       2:29 PM         89

Gawahati      10:57 AM       12:45 PM       2:24 PM         84

Hyderabad    10:14 AM       11:55 AM       1:44 PM         60

Indore             10:10 AM       11:51 AM       1:42 PM        78

Jaipur             10:14 AM       11:55 AM       1:44 PM         91

Japal              10:15 AM       11:56 AM       1:44 PM         59

Jodhpur         10:08 AM       11:47 AM       1:35 PM         91

Kandla           09:59 AM       11:35 AM       1:24 PM         85

K’kumari        10:17 AM       11:41 AM       1:15 PM         33

Kochi              10:10 AM       11:38 AM       1:17 PM         40

Kolkata           10:46 AM       12:35 PM       2:17 PM         72

Leh                 10:29 AM       12:06 PM       1:47 PM         87

Lucknow        10:26 AM       12:11 PM       1:58 PM         88

Mt. Abu          10:05 AM       11:44 AM       1:34 PM         87

Mumbai          10:00 AM       11:37 AM       1:27 PM         70

Naini Tal       10:25 AM       12:08 PM       1:54 PM         96

Nanded          10:11 AM       11:53 AM       1:42 PM         66

New Delhi    10:19 AM       12:01 PM       1:48 PM         95

Port Blair        11:15 AM       12:53 PM       2:18 PM         39

Pune              10:02 AM       11:40 AM       1:30 PM         67

Rajkot             09:59 AM       11:35 AM       1:25 PM         82

Shilong          10:57 AM       12:46 PM       2:24 PM         83

Srinagar         10:23 AM       11:59 AM       1:40 PM         86

Trivandrum     10:14 AM       11:39 AM       1:15 PM         35

Udaipur          10:07 AM       11:47 AM       1:36 PM         86

(Source: PIB)

Do not use sunglasses, goggles, exposed x-ray sheet or lampblack over a glass. They are not safe, nor is viewing the Sun’s image on the surface of the water.

The welders’ glass number 13 or number 14 can be used to see the Sun directly with naked eyes.