Rare Black Moon comes with solar eclipse today: Time and Visibility in India

New Delhi, Apr 30: There will be a partial solar eclipse today, coinciding with what is known as 'Black Moon'. The April 30 partial solar eclipse will be seen from southern South America, Antarctica, and the Pacific and Southern Oceans will have a chance to witness a partial eclipse of the Sun just before and during sunset.

It is also likely to be seen along parts of Antarctica's northwestern coastline and in the Falkland Islands, and in much of the South Pacific Ocean and the Southern Ocean.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun's light in some areas.

According to NASA, during a partial eclipse, the Moon and Sun are not perfectly aligned, so the Moon does not completely cover the Sun. This gives the Sun a crescent shape, or makes it appear as if a "bite" has been taken out of the Sun, depending on how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon.

Black moon: Time and visibility in India

The first solar eclipse of 2022 will begin at 12:15 pm and end at 4:07 pm. However, it is not vivible in India.

What is a black moon?

A 'Black Moon' is a rare occurrence and there is no official astronomical term. Generally, the third Moon in an astronomical season with four New Moons or the second New Moon in the same calendar month is referred to as black moon.

According to Space.com, the term has been commonly used to refer to any of the phenomena associated with the New Moon as, during the New Moon phase, the Moon is always "black".

According to NASA, the 'Black Moon' will block out some of the Sun during the day just before and during sunset, causing a partial eclipse.

In fact, we did not experience the rare Black Moon phenomenon in 2021.