New Delhi: The last day of April to the early hours of May 1 the year’s first partial solar eclipse will be visible in certain parts of the world. India will not be able to witness the first partial eclipse but interested people can watch it live on NASA's YouTube channel.
The eclipse will be visible in parts of Antarctica, the Atlantic Ocean just off South America's southeastern coast including the Falkland Islands, South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. It will also be visible over parts of South America such as Chile, Argentina, most of Uruguay, western Paraguay, southwestern Bolivia, southeastern Peru, and a small area of southwestern Brazil.
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes in between the Earth and Sun but does not align in a straight line. Partial eclipses are a bit longer than total eclipses.
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It is advised not to look at the eclipse directly as it can permanently damage the eyes of the viewer. There are special eye protection or indirect viewing techniques used when viewing a solar eclipse. In India, those who are interested in watching the phenomenon can view it live on NASA's YouTube.
The partial solar eclipse, as per astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari, will begin around 6.45 pm universal time which according to Indian time will be 00:15 am of May 1.
The maximum for India will be around 2:11 am on May 1 and end at 4:07 am. No one will see the cosmic event as it will be nighttime in this country, he explained to PTI.
The Moon will partially obscure the Sun as it appears from Earth. As per NASA, this eclipse will see nearly 65 per cent of the Sun covered by the Moon.