Solar Eclipse 2020: Date, timings, visibility – Your one-stop guide for Surya Grahan in India

New Delhi: On June 21, the world will witness the annular solar eclipse also known as Surya Grahan in India. A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the Moon comes in between the Earth and the Sun and when all the three objects are aligned. However, in partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured.

From India, the annular phase will be visible in the morning from some places – parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand – and it will be seen as partial solar eclipse from the rest part of the country. Apart from India, Pakistan, Africa and China will also witness solar eclipse and if the weather is favourable, reports timeanddate.com.

The duration of solar eclipse in India will be of approximately six hours. The first location to see the partial eclipse begins at 9.15 am and at 12.10 pm, the maximum eclipse takes place. The solar eclipse will end at 15:04 pm.

Surya Grahan timings in India:

First location to see the partial eclipse begin – 09:15:58

First location to see the full eclipse begin – 10:17:45

Maximum Eclipse – 12:10:04

Last location to see the full eclipse end – 14:02:17

Last location to see the partial eclipse end – 15:04:01

(Courtesy: timeanddate.com)

In India, the obscuration of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest phase of the annular eclipse will be nearly 98.6%.  Obscuration of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest phase of partial eclipse will be around 94 percent in Delhi, 80 percent in Guwahati, 78 percent in Patna, 75 percent in Silchar, 66 percent in Kolkata, 62 percent in Mumbai, 37 percent in Bangalore, 34 percent in Chennai, 28 percent in Port Blair.

Please note: An eclipse should not be seen with the naked eye, maintains NASA as it can cause damage to the eye. Skywatchers should use binoculars, a telescope or optical camera viewfinder with the correct filters or films to watch the eclipse. A normal binocular or telescope should not be used.