Total Solar Eclipse On April 8: Timing, Duration, Visibility In India, Live Streaming Details And More

Skywatchers are excitedly awaiting the first solar eclipse of the year, which will occur on April 8. People across North America will be able to witness this celestial event, where day briefly transforms into night. 

Total solar eclipses are a rare sight as the sky takes a dramatic appearance in different shades of dark colours. However, this sight is visible from only a few places worldwide.

This year’s first total solar eclipse will be witnessed on April 8. An estimated 185-km skyline between Mexico, the US, and Canada is expected to be completely dark. A total of 18 states in the US are likely to get a glimpse of this total eclipse.

According to an NDTV report, this eclipse will appear from 9:12 PM IST while the totality will begin from 10:08 PM and will end on April 9 at 2:22 AM IST. If everything goes as predicted, the Pacific coast of Mexico will witness totality first at 11: 07 AM PDT (approx. 11:30 PM IST) and this phenomenon will leave Maine around 1:30 PM PDT (approx. 2 AM IST).

According to NASA, the entire total eclipse will be visible for about two and a half hours, but the highlight will be for 4 minutes and 27 seconds. 

"During any total solar eclipse, totality lasts the longest near the centre of the path, width-wise, and decreases toward the edge. But those seeking totality shouldn’t worry that they need to be exactly at the centre. The time in totality falls off pretty slowly until you get close to the edge," said NASA. 

This phenomenon will not be visible in India, but it will be witnessed in different cities across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. NASA has shared several precautionary measures to ensure people can witness this rare moment without any hassle. Directly viewing this phenomenon can be harmful to the naked eye. Using specialised solar glasses, binoculars, telescopes, or DSLR cameras equipped with solar filters would be a wise choice. 

Indirect viewing through pinhole projectors is yet another option to watch the eclipse. 

The eclipse will begin from Mexico’s Pacific coast and U.S. states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Several regions of Tennessee and Michigan may also get to view this rare moment. 

Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton around the eastern region of Nova Scotia are likely to get a glimpse of this event too.

Those residing in the above-mentioned regions will be able to witness it with the help of appropriate viewing devices. 

Apart from this, people can watch it on NASA's official YouTube channel.

This eclipse is likely to remind people about the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. Approximately, 215 million U.S. adults witnessed this rare sight either digitally or in person where the Moon takes its stance between the Sun and the Earth. 

"Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, causing a cycle of increasing, then decreasing solar activity. During solar minimum, there are fewer giant eruptions from the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. But during solar maximum, the Sun becomes more active," a NASA statement said. 

This year, the Sun is expected to be near solar maximum when the magnetic field is like a tangled hairball. Viewers will have a higher probability of witnessing prominences that are bright, pink curls or loops coming off the Sun.

"With lucky timing, there could even be a chance to see a coronal mass ejection – a large eruption of solar material – during the eclipse," said the space agency.