Annular solar eclipse 2021 on Thursday

This year’s first solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse 2021, is going to occur on Thursday. Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth and blocks the Sun’s light from reaching the Earth.

The Thursday’s eclipse is an annular one. In an annular eclipse, the Sun is not entirely covered and a thin boundary of it is visible. The visible thin boundary is called the ‘ring of fire.’

According to NASa, the eclipse will take place for 3 minutes and 51 seconds.

As mentioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), people from parts of northern Russia, Greenland, and Canada will get to witness the ring of fire, whereas, some parts of the world like eastern United States and northern Alaska will witness a partial solar eclipse, it means the ring of fire will not be visible to them.

Similarly, people only from some parts of India, including Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, will be able to witness the eclipse.

In addition to this, people from a large part of Canada, North America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and parts of the Caribbean will also witness a partial solar eclipse.

Scientists suggest sky-gazers not to look directly at the sun as this could cause harm to their eyes. Instead, they advise to take proper precautions to see the celestial event. Experts say enthusiasts should use solar viewing or eclipse glasses, a box projector, or a telescope if they are planning to watch the annular solar eclipse 2021.