ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will witness an annular solar eclipse after 20 years on Thursday morning, citing the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), ARY News reported on Wednesday.
According to the Meteorological Department, the solar eclipse will also be visible from Eastern Europe, much of Asia, North & West Australia, Eastern Africa, Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
The Penumbral Eclipse will begin at 07:30 Pakistan Standard Time (PST) and will conclude at 01:06 afternoon.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun’s center, leaving the Sun’s visible outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus around.
According to the PMD, maximum magnitudes of the eclipse at major Pakistani cities will be as follow:
The maximum magnitude of solar eclipse visible in Karachi will be 0.77, at 08:46 PST, Islamabad 0.49 magnitude at 08:58 PST, Quetta 0.64 magnitude at 08:48 PST, Peshawar 0.50 magnitude at 08:56 PST, Lahore 0.52 magnitude at 08:58 PST, Gilgit 0.43 magnitude at 09:01 PST and Muzaffarabad 0.47 magnitude at 08:59 PST.
Researchers said the eclipse is important because it enable astronomers to study the outer realm of the Sun, known as the corona.
Solar Eclipse Precautions
- Do not look directly at the sun
- Do not use homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark sunglasses
- Use special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers, to view the eclipse.
- Avoid looking at the Sun through telescope, binoculars and any other optical device.
Looking directly at the Sun can
- Loss of the central vision
- Distorted vision
- Altered colour vision
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