Within a few days, an annular eclipse of the sun will occur, across large parts of the world; The sun, moon, and earth line up in one line. The annular or total eclipse of the sun, which is a rare event, occurs when the moon is very far away, in its orbit around the Earth, to block the sun completely, causing light to appear around the edges of the moon, which astronomers call "the ring of fire."
It takes several minutes for the moon to pass in front of the sun, but the total eclipse lasts less than a second. The annular eclipse path will pass through Africa, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, on Sunday 21 June.
The US space agency NASA has mapped the path, showing where the annular phase of the eclipse will be visible, if the weather permits.
"Good weather is the key to seeing a successful eclipse. It is better to see a longer eclipse in clear skies compared to an eclipse under clouds," NASA indicated on its website.
When does the astronomical phenomenon occur?
The solar annular eclipse only occurs when:
- A new moon is born.
- The moon is at (or very close to) a lunar node, so the Earth, Moon, and Sun are lined up in a straight (or semi-straight) line.
- The moon is at the farthest point from Earth, called the apogee, so the outer edge of the sun remains visible as a ring of sunlight.
Why does the annular eclipse not happen every new moon?
The solar eclipse is relatively rare. For any solar eclipse to occur, it must be at the birth of a new moon, when the sun and the earth are lined up on one line, between them the moon. Usually, the new moon is not visible from Earth. The only time we can see it is during the eclipse of the sun.
The importance of the lunar node
The new moon must be close to the lunar node; It is one of the two orbital nodes of the moon, that is, the two points where the moon's orbit intersects with the eclipse.
And when the sun and moon are close enough to the lunar node to form an ideal or near-perfect line with Earth, we are in a 34.5-day eclipse season. Each season, the eclipse occurs two or three times.
Solar annular eclipse stages
There are 5 distinct phases of the annular eclipse:
• First contact - the start of a partial eclipse: the moon’s shadow begins to appear in front of the sun’s disk, and the sun appears as if a piece of it has been taken.
• Second contact - the start of a complete or annular eclipse: the ring of fire appears, for only a few seconds when the astronomical phenomenon begins, and "Billy beads", which look like light bubbles, can be seen on the edge of the moon.
Maximum Eclipse: The Moon covers the center of the Sun's disk.
• The Third Connection - End of the Annular Eclipse: The moon begins to move away from the Sun’s disk. Once again, "Bailey beads" may be visible along the edge of the moon.
• Fourth contact - the end of the partial eclipse: The moon moves away from the Sun’s disk, ending the eclipse at this point.