On Christmas Day, the 25th of December this year, the decade’s final solar eclipse will show across the globe. People from North America won’t be able to see this solar eclipse, and it surely won’t be as outstanding as a total solar eclipse.
This annular solar eclipse will only block the Sun’s disk as the New Moon is a little further away than usual. Spectators will be able to see a “ring of fire” for a maximum of 3 minutes and 40 seconds. It will begin at 03:43 a.m. Universal Time on the 26th of December— that’s 22:43 p.m. EST and 19:43 p.m. PST on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, not all sky-watchers will be able to see the phenomenon as it can’t be witnessed from everywhere.
Who can see the last solar eclipse of the year on Christmas Day
The annular eclipse will start being visible at sunrise in Saudi Arabia, and then a little higher in the sky from a narrow path through Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, southern India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. The Moon will block the Sun’s disk east of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Experts recommend not watching the eclipse with the bare eye. At its peak point, the Moon will block 97% of the Sun; therefore, glasses are needed for the entire phenomenon. Solar filters on the front of telescopes or binoculars are also recommended.
The best place to watch this eclipse is Saudi Arabia, and some eclipse-lovers will travel to near Al-Hufuf, where it may be possible to see a distorted “ring of fire.” A distorted “ring of fire” has a bizarre sideways “D” shape and was last seen in May 2013 in Western Australia. Experts expect the 8th of April, 2024, to be North America’s lifetime total solar eclipse, and it will be observable from 12 states across the US. Good luck to all the eclipse chaser!
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.