On the night of April 9, skywatchers in parts of North America are set for a dazzling display as a total solar eclipse is slated to occur. During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the earth and the sun, casting its shadow on our planet. However, those hoping to witness the cosmic phenomenon from India will be disappointed as it unfortunately won't be visible here.
A solar eclipse can only be seen from locations that fall within the moon's narrow umbral shadow when it blocks the sun's light. According to astronomy software ‘In the Sky', the eclipse path this time around will only include parts of Mexico, Eastern United States and South-Eastern Canada. The partial phase is expected to begin around 9:13 pm IST on April 9 and the total eclipse will last from 10:59 pm to 12:01 am IST in the early hours of April 10.
The moon's orbit around earth lies at a five degree tilt relative to our planet's orbit around the sun. This is why solar eclipses don't occur every single lunar month. For an eclipse to take place, the moon needs to be located at one of the two lunar nodes where it intersects earth's orbital plane during new moon phase. Even then, its umbral shadow covers only a small region on earth and rest of the world sees a partial eclipse at best.
While Indians won't get to view the total blackout of the sun during next month's eclipse, live-streams of the event will certainly help get a virtual glimpse of the celestial phenomenon. So set those notifications and catch the rare eclipse in all its glory, even if only through a digital view!
