Sky lovers to miss solar eclipse on Diwali night

New Delhi, Nov 11: Astro enthusiasts will miss a chance to catch the year's last

, which will occur on the intervening night of

and the next day, as it will not be visible from the country.

The last solar eclipse of the year will occur on the night of November 13, but it will not be visible from India, Director of Planetary Society of India, N Sri Raghunandan, told PTI.

The celestial phenomenon will be mostly visible from uninhabited places, including region covering Australasia, Polynesia, the South Pacific Ocean, parts of Antarctica and the southern half of South America, he said.

The total eclipse will last just over four minutes at maximum, he said. Only the beginning of the eclipse would occur over land, but it would still make a fascinating spectacle for Australians, he said.

The eclipse, as per the Indian timing, will begin at 1.08 AM on November 14 and end at 6.15 AM. The maximum phase of eclipse will be at 3.42 AM. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between earth and the sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the sun for a viewer on earth.

PTI