Solar Eclipse 2019: What Is "Ring Of Fire" That Will Be Visible In India On December 26

Solar Eclipse 2019: The last solar eclipse of the year will fall on December 26. The celestial event will be visible from India this time. Apart from India, it will also be visible from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sumatra, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Northern Marina Islands, Sri Lanka and Borneo, the space.com reports.

What is a Solar Eclipse?

The solar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the moon gets between the sun and the earth, and casts a shadow over the earth. The eclipse, that is moon covering the sun, can be partial, total or annular.

Is the next solar eclipse annular, partial or total?

The next solar eclipse will be "annular", also known as "ring of fire". The annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun from its center, leaving its outer edges visible. So, this year, the Moon will cover Sun from the center, while the edges will form what's known as "ring of fire".

Best place to observe the eclipse?

Kerala's Cheruvathur will be among the best places to witness the Solar Eclipse this year, reports say. Cheruvathur, a town in Kasaragod district, will be among the few places of the world where the eclipse will be most clearly seen, The Hindu reports.

The Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala, where the two-month-long annual pilgrim season is underway, will remain closed for four hours on December 26 due to solar eclipse.

It is advised that people should not observe the eclipse from naked eye and at least put on their sunglasses to observe the phenomenon.