This week a very special phenomenon will take place on our planet: the hybrid solar eclipse. This celestial phenomenon will cause the moon to pass between the Earth and the sun so that those lucky enough to be in its path will be able to observe an annular or total eclipse, depending on their position with respect to the moon.
This event, which has been seen mainly in parts of Australia, East Timor and Indonesia, began on Wednesday at 2:34 a.m. in the Indian Ocean, and lasted until 7:59 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean. At around 6:16 a.m., the inhabitants of Timor have been able to witness the peak of the eclipse for just over a minute, when the moon has completely covered the sun.
This particular eclipse causes the sky to darken progressively for four hours, partially covering the sun at first, and finally covering it completely. In the middle of the celestial event, you can see the 'ring of fire', a bright ring resulting from the last flashes that border the sun.
The hybrid eclipse is basically a function of the curvature of the Earth and the trajectory of the event. As indicated by CNN, proximity to the moon at that time will make the moon the same size as the sun in certain areas, causing a total eclipse, while in other places the moon will appear smaller than the sun, causing an annular eclipse.
Dr. Michael Kirk, Principal Investigator for NASA's Heliophysics Education Activation Team, reveals to CNN: "This eclipse is a bit difficult, because you won't be passing much of it over land... so most people Those who have the opportunity to see the eclipse will see a partial eclipse (...) what it means is that the moon will only block a part of the sun, so it will seem that they have taken a bite out of the sun”.
Its uniqueness has led NASA to name this eclipse Ningaloo, the name given to the strip of coral reef that submerges off the west coast of Australia. EarthSky has indicated that the area of Southeast Asia, the East Indies, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand, are those that have managed to experience the partial eclipse this week with a most special night.
Unfortunately, we Spaniards have only been able to attend the celestial event through NASA's YouTube channel, which started a live broadcast. However, on May 5 there will be a penumbral lunar eclipse that will be visible from most of the Iberian Peninsula.
