Annular Solar Eclipse on December 26: Date, Time and Where to watch in India

New Delhi, Nov 29: A rare annular solar eclipse will occur on December 26, 2019. The celestial event known as the ring of fire will be visible in Marina Islands, Oman, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and India.

According to Eclipseportal, the annular solar eclipse will start approximately 180 kilometres west of Dammam in Eastern Saudi Arabia.

In India, the eclipse will reach from Southern India's west coast and its path will cross in a southeasterly direction.

What is Annular Solar Eclipse?

Though eclipses occure twice or thrice in a year, the annual solar eclipse is unique as it occurs when the apparent diameter of the moon is smaller than that of the Sun.

What is ring of fire

During the total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks the Sun, while in an annular eclipse, the moon blocks the Sun from the centre but leaves the rims visible. Thus creating a "ring of fire".

Annular Solar Eclipse Date and Time in India

In India, the solar eclipseis visible from 8.06 a.m to 11.13 a.m on December 26, 2019. This eclipse will be the third and the final solar eclipse for the year 2019.

Annularity that lasts for 3 minutes will occur between 9:24 am and 09:27 am on the east coast and 9:31 am and 9:35 am on the west coast.

Where will the eclipse be visible?

The annual eclipse will begin from Kerala's Cheruvathur in India. The best view of the fiery ring can be witnessed from Ooty in Tamil Nadu. The visiblity depends on the location you live in.

In Ooty and Tiruppur and Ammapattinam, the annularity will last for more than 3 minutes, and the view will be far less likely to be obstructed by clouds.

Enthusiasts in Keralas' Kozhikode, Mangalore in Karnataka and Coimbatore and Trichy in Tamil Nadu are also lucku enough to witness the ‘ring of fire'.