A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.[1][2] Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra.The path of annularity at this eclipse will start in Africa. After crossing most of the Indian Ocean, it will hit the Maldive Islands. The center of the path goes a bit off the southern tip of India, but not by much. The path of annularity then crosses northern Sri Lanka, where I would love to go, but it may be too close to the end of their military difficulties for me to travel there yet.
Where to go for an eclipse is in part a scientific and in part a cloud-cover-statistics decision, but political situations do play a part. Annularity will cross part of Myanmar, which I am not willing to visit now, though I do know at least one person who is going there. The path continues into China, where at least one of my colleague’s from last summer’s total eclipse, Yihua Yan from the Beijing Solar Observatory, will watch from Yunnan.
Partial phases will be visible for hundreds of miles to either side of the band of annularity
The solar eclipse was witnessed here in the Philippines too but unfortunately I wasn't able to see it coz I was in the office all day.Rochelle here.
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