What is the annular solar eclipse occurring on Oct 14? Will it be visible from India?

The Moon will transit between the Earth and the Sun resulting in the annular solar eclipse on October 14. The phenomenon will turn the Sun into a stunning ‘Ring of Fire’ owing to the Moon-Earth position and make it 10% dimmer than usual. Notably, this is a once-in-a-generation event as the next annular eclipse will be in 2046.

What is an annular solar eclipse?

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Earth and Moon while being at the farthest distance from our planet. 

Since the Moon is at the apogee (farthest point from Earth), it does not completely blocks the Sun from our vantage point and covers just the central part. It is this position of the Moon which makes the Sun a ‘Ring of Fire’ for the viewers in the path of annularity.  

Despite most of the solar surface being blocked, it is unsafe to directly view any solar eclipse without proper eye-protection equipment.

Will the solar eclipse be visible from India?

Sadly, the annular solar eclipse will not be visible from India. According to NASA, countries only in North, Central and South America of the western hemisphere will be able to witness the event which starts at 9:43 pm IST on October 14 from the US state of Oregon. 

You can still watch the eclipse from India thanks to the livestream NASA has scheduled starting 9 p.m. You can experience the solar eclipse by tuning in to NASA's live stream on YouTube, its website and social media handles. 

Interestingly, NASA is also launching three sounding rockets with small payloads to study the upper atmosphere when the sunlight dips during the eclipse. The mission is being led by Indian-Origin scientist Aroh Barjatya, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Tap here to read more about the mission.