'Ring of fire' solar eclipse witnessed across Pakistan
- By Web Desk -
- Jun 21, 2020
KARACHI: The annular solar eclipse, popularly known as the ‘ring of fire’ was witnessed in different parts of Pakistan on Sunday, ARY News reported.
Annular eclipses occur when the Moon — passing between Earth and the Sun — is not quite close enough to our planet to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible.
They occur every year or two, and can only been seen from a narrow pathway across the planet.
The Solar Eclipse that commenced at 09:26 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) concluded at 12:46 afternoon. At approximately 10:59 am, the moon completely eclipses the sun.
According to the met office, apart of southern parts of Pakistan, the solar eclipse also witnessed in parts of Africa including the Central African Republic, Congo and Ethiopia and in northern parts of India and China.
The “ring of fire” was first visible in the northeastern Republic of Congo from 5:56 local time (04:56 GMT) just a few minutes after sunrise.
In Nairobi, east Africa, observers saw only a partial eclipse as clouds blocked the sky for several seconds at the exact moment the Moon should have almost hidden the Sun.
The ophthalmologists have described Sunday’s [June 21] eclipse “dangerous for the human eye” as it would emit ultraviolet rays that could permanently destroy the vision of the human eye.
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are visible from about half of the Earth’s surface.
There will be a second solar eclipse in 2020 on December 14 over South America. Because the Moon will be a bit closer to Earth, it will block out the Sun’s light entirely.