A rare form of solar eclipse was visible from parts of the southern hemisphere early Thursday morning.
This phenomenon, known as a hybrid eclipse, is a combination of a total and an annular solar eclipse and is observed in South and East Asia, Australia, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Antarctica.
People living in the UK will have to wait until 2025 for the next visible eclipse.
Here’s what you need to know.
When is the next solar eclipse in the Netherlands?
There are two to five solar eclipses per year, with a total solar eclipse occurring roughly every 18 months. Your location determines whether it will be visible to you.
The next partial solar eclipse visible from the UK will occur on March 29, 2025. It will also be visible from northwest Africa, Europe and northern Russia.
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible in the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain.
The partial eclipse should be visible from the UK, covering about 90 percent of the Sun.
The last time a total eclipse passed over Britain was in 1999. It was one of the most observed total solar eclipses of all time, as the path took place in areas of high population density.
Many people attended the eclipse in Cornwall, the only place in Britain where you can see a total eclipse.
What is a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is directly between the Sun and the Earth, so that the Earth is in the moon’s shadow.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory explains: “Because the Moon is much smaller than the Earth, its shadow covers only a small part of the Earth’s surface. This means that a solar eclipse can only be seen from a certain part of the world.
“A total solar eclipse can be seen from the darkest part of the lunar shadow (shadow); partially shaded areas (penumbra) are witnesses of a partial solar eclipse.
How to watch the next solar eclipse
Looking directly at the sun can seriously damage your eyes, even if most of the sun’s disk is blocked.
It is also not advisable not to look at the sun through binoculars, a telescope, or a telephoto lens of a SLR camera.
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said: “The easiest way to observe an eclipse is to use a hole in a piece of cardboard.
“Then the image of the sun can be projected onto another part of the map behind it (experiment with the distance between them, but it should be at least 30 cm). In no case should you look into the hole.
Dr. Massey said that another popular method of observing an eclipse is the mirror projection method.
He said: “You need a small flat mirror and a way to put it in the sun so that it reflects the sunlight into a room where you can see it on the wall or on some kind of flat screen.
“You can also have Eclipse goggles with a certified safety label, available from astronomy retail stores. As long as they are intact, you can see through them.”
Binoculars or telescopes can also be used to project an image of the sun.
Dr. Massey said, “Set it up on a tripod and place a piece of cardboard with a hole above the eyepiece, and then place another one about 50cm to a meter behind it.
“Point a telescope or binoculars at the sun and you should see a sharp image on a discrete map.”
Source: I News
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