2 of 5 eclipses in 2019 to be visible in India: Here’s when
New Delhi, Jan 1: Skygazers will be able to watch five eclipses in 2019, two of which will be visible in India. The new year will also bring three supermoons, a blue moon, multiple meteor showers, close approach by the moon and Jupiter.
January 6: Partial Solar Eclipse
The New Year will start off with a bang as there will be a partial solar eclipse during the first week of January. Visible from locations in north Pacific and northeast Asia, the best location to witness the spectacle will be Srednekolymsk in central Siberia. It will be partially visible from Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Vladivostok. It won't be visible from India.
January 20-21: Total Lunar Eclipse
The eclipse is likely to last almost 3 and a half hours, starting at 3:34 Universal Time and ending at 6:51 UT. It will be day time in India, and hence the eclipse won't be visible here. For the first time in three years, the United States will be able to experience a total lunar eclipse. According to NASA, it will be one of the sky's "most dazzling shows." The moon will be at its closest point to Earth, so it will appear slightly bigger and a lot brighter. This event is often referred to as a "supermoon."
But that's not the only thing that will make this eclipse unusual. Total lunar eclipses are often call "blood moons" because when the sun, Earth and moon align, the sunlight that passes through the Earth's atmosphere will appear to turn the moon red. And because lunar eclipses can occur only during a full moon, and the first full moon in January is known as a "wolf moon," many are calling this spectacular event a "Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse."
2 July: Total solar eclipse
The sun will be totally eclipsed by the moon for 4 minutes and 33 seconds on 2 July, 2019. The location offering complete daylight darkness during the event is somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Human eyes will be able to best watch the mega celestial event in central Chile and Argentina. It will be night time in this part of the world, and hence this eclipse is also set to elude India.
16-17 July: Partial lunar eclipse
In a spectacle for skywatchers in Europe, Africa, and (before dawn on July 17th) southern Asia and Australia, the full moon will dive about two-thirds of the way into Earth's umbral shadow, according to the Sky & Telescope report. From South America, people can see the end of this eclipse before the Moon rises.
Quoting Dr Rajendraprakash Gupt, Superintendent of the Ujjain-based Jiwaji Observatory, PTI says the partial lunar eclipse will be visible in India.
26 December: Annular solar eclipse
2019 closes on a climax with a rare and glorious "ring of fire."
The annular eclipse occurs when the circumference of the sun shines brightly from behind the moon. This year, the eclipse will begin right at dawn and pass over the Arabian Peninsula and arc over areas of South Asia.