First Hybrid Solar Eclipse in 10 years will appear today with the best view from Western Australia

Stargazers can enjoy a rare ‘hybrid’ lunar eclipse today that will plunge parts of the world into total darkness.

This type of astronomical event — where the moon blocks different parts of the sun in different parts of the world — only occurs once every 10 years.

In some places, including Western Australia, viewers will experience a “total” solar eclipse, where the face of the sun is completely blocked by the moon.

But others will see an “annular” solar eclipse, where the moon appears slightly smaller than the sun and leaves a ring of light around its silhouette.

According to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the event will only be visible from parts of the equator and southern hemisphere.

Those in Western Australia and Southeast Asia will be able to catch it around 11:30am local time.

The shaded area marks the moon’s shadow moving across Earth on Thursday; people in this area will only see a partial eclipse unless they are on the path traversed by the black dot in the center – in which case they will see a total or annular eclipse

But for those in other parts of Australia and around the world who want to witness the total solar eclipse, NASA is putting a live stream from Perth Observatory in Western Australia.

It begins at 12:30 a.m. local time and viewers will have a chance to ask NASA scientists questions about the phenomenon.

The last time a hybrid solar eclipse occurred was way back in November 2013, which plunged parts of Africa, Europe, and the Americas into darkness.

And avid astronomers certainly won’t want to miss this week’s event, as the next one isn’t coming until November 2031.

A solar eclipse occurs during the day at new moon — when the moon is between the Earth and the sun — blocking some or all of the light.

Because the moon “wobbles” up and down, a new moon can happen where the entire sun is blocked (total eclipse) or the sun is partially blocked out so that it looks like a “bite” has been taken out of it (partial eclipse).

The more of the sun is obstructed, the darker it will be when the eclipse occurs.

A hybrid eclipse is a combination of a total and an annular eclipse, but is preceded by a partial eclipse when the moon moves into position.

Dr. Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: “This eclipse will only be visible from Australia, East Timor, Indonesia, the southern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, while the related partial eclipse will also be visible to a few surrounding countries. Regions.’

Hybrid solar eclipses occur because of the curvature of the Earth.

At any given time, some points on the planet are closer to or farther from the moon than others.

So when a shadow is cast across the Earth during an eclipse, different parts of the world are in different parts of the shadow.

The shadow’s center — the point on Earth closest to the moon — and the trail it traces across the planet is known as the “path of totality.”

Some people who were on the path of totality will be completely blocked from any sunlight by the moon, so they will see a total solar eclipse.

But as the moon continues its path, it will get a little further away from Earth, making it appear smaller and not covering as much of the sun.

Those who were on the path of totality at this point will see an annular solar eclipse.

Finally, people who are in the shadow of the moon, but not in the path of totality, will experience a partial eclipse.

So on Thursday, when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned, people in Western Australia, East Timor and Indonesia will be closer to the moon than those positioned further around the Earth’s curvature.

Because of this, people in these locations will be perfectly placed to see a total solar eclipse.

Meanwhile, those further along the path of totality will see an annular solar eclipse, as they are just a little farther from the moon.

As with any solar eclipse, it is important that skywatchers do not look directly at the sun with the naked eye while the event is taking place, even while wearing sunglasses.

It is also not wise not to look at the sun with binoculars, a telescope or a telephoto lens on an SLR camera.

Using a simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses, which can be purchased online, or special solar filters are viable alternatives.

“The easiest way to look at a solar eclipse is to use a hole in a map,” said Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society.

‘An image of the sun can then be projected onto another piece of map behind it (experiment with the distance between the two, but it should be at least 12 inches).

“Under no circumstances should you look through the hole.”

Dr. Massey said another popular method of viewing an eclipse is the mirror projection method.

“You need a small, flat mirror and a means of placing it in the sun so that it reflects the sunlight into a room where you can see it on a wall or some kind of flat screen,” he said.

‘Perhaps you also have eclipse glasses with a certified safety mark, which are available from specialized astronomy suppliers.

“If they aren’t damaged in any way, can you see the sun through them?”

Binoculars or telescopes can also be used to project the image of the sun.

‘Mount them on a tripod and place a piece of card with a hole in it over the eyepiece, and place another between 50cm and a meter behind it,’ Dr Massey said.

“Point the telescope or binoculars at the sun and you should see the clear image on the separate map.”