Washington: Sky enthusiasts in parts of Southeast Asia will be treated to a total solar eclipse lasting for over a minute in every location on its path on March 8, 2016 EST (March 9 local time).


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon's shadow falls on Earth. The shadow comprises two concentric cones called the umbra and the penumbra.


As the moon passes precisely between the sun and Earth – a relatively rare occurrence that happens only about once a year because of the fact that the moon and the sun do not orbit in the exact same plane – it will block the sun’s bright face, revealing the tenuous and comparatively faint solar atmosphere, the corona, explained NASA astronomers.


Watch NASA's animation video below that depicts the movement of March 2016 total solar eclipse shadow-



In India, the celestial event, which will occur on March 9, will be partially visible in North East, said Ujjain based Jiwaji Observatory's Superintendent Dr Rajendraprakash Gupt.


“You notice something off about the sunlight as you reach totality,” said Sarah Jaeggli, a space scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Your surroundings take on a twilight cast, even though it’s daytime and the sky is still blue.”


Totality will last for anywhere from one and a half to just over four minutes at each location, though more than three hours will pass between the time the westernmost location sees the eclipse begin and when the easternmost location sees the eclipse end, the scientists said.


Also watch – Path of March 2016 total solar eclipse by NASA-



Total solar eclipses are more than just visually fascinating.


Scientists said one should never look at the sun directly, but eclipses can be viewed using a solar-filtered telescope, eclipse glasses, or a pinhole projector. Even when 99 percent of the sun’s surface is obscured by the moon, the unobscured sliver of the sun’s surface can damage the eyes.