Bhubaneswar: Sunday witnessed the year’s first celestial happening with a partial solar eclipse. However, it was not visible in India.
The alignment between the Sun and the Moon was not very exact, and as a result the Moon did not cover the Sun completely, Deputy Director Pathani Samanta Planetarium Dr. Subhendu Pattnaik said describing the partial eclipse.
It was seen in parts of North-East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, including China, part of Siberia in Russia, Korean peninsula, North Antarctica, and part of Japan between 5 am and continued till 8:18 am, he said.
This eclipse is first of six to occur this year.
The skies will witness a total lunar eclipse also known as the ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ on January 20-21, depending on where you view from in North and South America, or western Europe, Pattanik further said.
It will be followed by a full solar eclipse on July 2, which India again would not be able to see. It will occur over the South Pacific, Chile and Argentina.
The third solar eclipse of 2019 will take place on December 26, when a shadow will be seen around the sun. This eclipse will be partially visible in many parts in India, while the shadow track can be seen from some parts in Kerala, he added.