Sydney, April 19 (BNA) A rare solar eclipse will cross remote areas of Australia, Indonesia and East Timor on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The lucky few in the path of a hybrid solar eclipse will either plunge into the darkness of the total eclipse or see a “ring of fire” as the sun peeks out from behind the moon.
The eclipse’s path will sweep from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, mostly over water. For those watching the total eclipse, it will last just over a minute.
Such celestial events happen about once every decade: most recently in 2013 and the next decade until 2031. They happen when Earth is in its “sweet spot,” so the moon and sun are about the same size in space, said NASA solar expert Michael Kirk. .
At some points, the moon is a little closer and blocks the sun in a total eclipse. But when the moon is a little further away, it lets some sunlight through the annular eclipse.
People outside the eclipse’s path can still watch from a distance: Some sites in Australia will broadcast the event online, including the Perth Observatory, the Gravity Discovery Center and the Observatory.
It will be easy to catch the many upcoming solar eclipses. The annular eclipse in mid-October and the total eclipse in April will both pass over millions of people in the Americas.
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