Will Pakistan witness this year’s last solar eclipse?

The world’s rare ‘ring of fire’ eclipse will be visible for people across parts of world on October 14.

According to NASA, this year’s solar eclipse has been named the ‘Ring of Fire’.

Also known as a ring of fire eclipse, an annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in a statement, said that the eclipse will be visible in southwestern Mexico, various countries in Central America, central Colombia, and northern Brazil.

According to the department, the eclipse will begin on October 14 at 8:04pm (PST); the eclipse will reach its peak at 10:59pm; and on October 15 at 1:55am, it will end.

The eclipse won’t be visible in Pakistan, they said.

How to look at the eclipse?

According to NASA, it is never safe to look directly at the sun during an annular eclipse without specialized eye protection as you could permanently damage your eyes.

When watching an annular (or even partial) solar eclipse people should always look at it using approved solar viewing glasses (AKA eclipse glasses) or a handheld solar viewer.

Can I use regular sunglasses to watch the eclipse?

No.

Regular sunglasses do not count as eclipse glasses, NASA experts say. No matter how dark, regular sunglasses are not safe for looking directly at the sun.

“Safe solar viewers are thousands of times darker and ought to comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard,” according to the space agency.

Additional tips for safely viewing an annular eclipse include:

• Inspect eclipse glasses or handheld viewers before using them. Throw them away if they are torn, scratched, or damaged.
• Instruct children how to properly watch the eclipse.
• Supervise children using eclipse sunglasses or handheld solar viewers.