Solar Eclipse 2020: Here’s How You Can Watch The Eclipse On June 21 Safely

On June 21 India will witness an annular solar eclipse. Here's how you can watch the eclipse safely.

FILE PIC: A solar eclipse is visible from district Simeulue, Aceh, Indonesia on December 26, 2019. The so-called ring of fire is seen from 25 districts and cities and its peak takes place between 11 am to 2 pm local time. (Photo by Khalis Surry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

New Delhi: The annular solar eclipse is going to occur on June 21^st, Sunday. In this solar eclipse, the sun will not get completely covered but will look like a ring.  This happens because the moon is too far away to completely cover the sun like in the case of a total eclipse. So, the sun appears as a bright ring or annulus. It is also called a ring of fire eclipse. The eclipse will be visible from parts of Africa, Pakistan, Northern India, and China. In India, for most parts of the country, it will appear as a partial eclipse and only a few places will be able to witness annularity. According to the PTI report, the eclipse will begin near Gharsana in Rajasthan around 10:12 am. One thing about eclipses is that you can never look directly at them even with camera or telescopes (unless you use special filters) as it can cause serious damage to your eyes but that doesn’t mean you can’t look at them at all. Looking at the sun directly can destroy the cells in the retina causing retinal burns which are also known as eclipse blindness or solar retinopathy. Symptoms include loss of vision or distorted vision due to a blindspot. There is an old school hack you can use to watch the Solar Eclipse this Sunday. The simplest and quickest way to safely watch the eclipse is through a pinhole projector. Which you can create using 2 pieces of stiff white cardboard or paper or even 2 paper plates and a thumbtack, a sharp pin, or a needle. Take one sheet of paper and make a tiny hole in the middle of it using a pin, make sure that the hole is round and smooth. With your back towards the Sun, hold 1 piece of paper above your shoulder allowing the Sun to shine on the paper. Set the second at a distance as it will act as a screen, you will see an inverted image of the Sun projected on the paper screen through the pinhole. Remember, do not look directly at the sun even with sunglasses and the rays of the sun can damage your eyes. It is also advised against driving during as eclipse but if you must drive, be careful and keep your eyes on the road and watch out for distracted drivers.