Rare "Christmas Eclipse" will Illuminate Sky with a "Ring of Fire"
Rare ‘Christmas eclipse’ will illuminate sky with ‘ring of fire’
By Danielle Hopkins Published 18 hours ago
LOS ANGELES - A partial annular solar eclipse will light up the sky with a “ring of fire” during the daytime in the Eastern Hemisphere on Thursday, Dec. 26.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is relatively small in the sky and passes directly across the sun, but fails to cover it entirely. As a result, a “ring of fire” is formed that shines around the silhouette of the dark moon, according to Space.com.
The natural phenomenon will be visible across parts of the Middle East and Asia including, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, southern India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Guam.
The annular solar eclipse will last approximately for 3 minutes and 40 seconds and is the last eclipse of the year.
It is dangerous to look at an annular solar eclipse with the naked eye, and protective eye wear is strongly encouraged.
The next annular solar eclipse that will be visible in the U.S. is set to occur on June 10, 2021.
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https://www.fox29.com/news/rare-christmas-eclipse-will-illuminate-sky-with-ring-of-fire
Christmas Day Eclipse: How To Watch The ‘Ring of Fire’ Online, The Decade’s Final Solar Eclipse
Dec 23, 2019
Fancy watching a dramatic solar eclipse to round-off Christmas Day?
For sky-watchers, space fans and nature-lovers across the world, it’s two Christmases in one this year as a rare annular solar eclipse strikes the Middle East and Asia—and you can watch it all online.
What is an annular solar eclipse?
An annular solar eclipse occurs when a New Moon is furthest from the Earth on its elliptical orbit, and on Christmas Day it will appear about one percent smaller in the sky. It can’t fully eclipse the Sun, and instead observers see a “ring of fire” or “ring of light” around the Moon. It’s essentially a pretty partial solar eclipse, and at all times observers need to wear protective solar eclipse glasses.
Where is the Christmas Day 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse?
It’s happening along a path that’s 118 kilometres wide. It will be visible from Saudi Arabia—where the sun will rise as a “ring of fire”—Qatar, the UAE, Oman, southern India, northern Sri Lanka, the Indian Ocean, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Guam, where the sun will set as a ring of fire. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the Middle East, south-east Asia and Australia.
When is the Christmas Day 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse?
A partial solar eclipse officially begins at 2:29 a.m. Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC), though the “action” begins at 3:43 a.m. UTC as the sun rises as an annular solar eclipse in Saudi Arabia (at 6:43 a.m. local time). That’s the key sight for eclipse-chasers, and that’s what you want to try to see online. The “ring of fire” will last for 2 minutes 50 seconds in Saudi Arabia, but after its appearance at sunrise it will appear as a ring of fire across the world for a few minutes across the next three and a half hours.
That converts to these times (you can convert for your location here):
New York: 10:43 p.m. EST on Christmas Day (December 25, 2019) through 2:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (December 26, 2019)
Los Angeles: 7:43 p.m. through 11:01 p.m. PST on Christmas Day (December 25, 2019)
London: 3:43 a.m. through 7:01 a.m. GMT on Boxing Day (December 26, 2019)
Where to stream the Christmas Day 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse?
Although NASA doesn’t appear to have plans to cover this annular solar eclipse, there are a few live feeds on YouTube you can follow.
Slooh will have host live feeds from the Middle East, India, and Singapore beginning at 6:30 p.m. PST/9:30 p.m. EST/2:30 UTC
It’s also worth checking-out Timeanddate.com’s live feed on YouTube.
Are there any annular solar eclipses in 2020?
On June 21, 2020 a much deeper 99% annular solar eclipse—itself a very rare event—will see the Moon block the Sun for just over a minute (maximum). Visible from the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, Taiwan and Guam, eclipse-chasers will likely head for the clear skies of Oman and the high altitudes of Tibet for that one.
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