A hybrid solar eclipse is a very rare and exotic astronomical event — and one coming soon, on April 20, 2023.
Talk to most eclipse hunters and they will tell you that there are three types of eclipses solar eclipse. The first is a partial eclipse, which is one of the most common and least impressive due to solar eclipses the moon Just blocks part of Sun Casting a shadow – shadows – on a strip of land. The second is an annular solar eclipse, in which the moon blocks the center of the sun, but leaves a circle of sunlight visible from within a shadow called an antumbra. It is often called the “ring of fire”. The third is a total solar eclipse in which the moon blocks out the entire solar disk, revealing the stunning view of the solar corona, which can be seen with the naked eye from the moon’s dark shadow, the umbra.
However, there is a curious fourth type of solar eclipse – a hybrid solar eclipse – which only happens a few times per century. It is a mixture of the other three genres, but it is also impossible to experience it in all its glory. Fortunately, the The next solar eclipse speak on a land It will be a hybrid solar eclipse. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming hybrid solar eclipse – the rarest, most interesting, and arguably the most interesting and dramatic type of solar eclipse in the world.
Related: Solar eclipse 2023: when, where and how to see it
Jimmy Carter
What is a hybrid solar eclipse?
A hybrid solar eclipse combines an annular and a total eclipse of the sun, where the first becomes the second and then usually returns. Therefore, observers at different points in the path of the eclipse may experience different phenomena. For example, if you watch a hybrid solar eclipse at sunrise or sunset, you might see a brief “ring of fire.” If you look at it at noon—halfway through the eclipse’s path across Earth’s surface—you’ll experience totality. So it’s impossible to experience both an annular eclipse and a total solar eclipse in a hybrid event — a choice must be made.
Remember to never look at the sun without proper protection. our How to safely observe the sun The guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar sightings. The guide also tells you what sun targets to look for and what equipment to do so.
If you want to set everything up for watching a solar eclipse, we’ve got guides on the best cameras for astrophotography, and the best lenses for astrophotography. Our how to photograph a solar eclipse guide will also help you plan your next solar viewing adventure.
Why do hybrid solar eclipses occur?
A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is near its limit until the umbra’s shadow reaches the Earth The earth is curved (Opens in a new tab). The Moon is just the right distance from the Earth so that the top of the cone-shaped shadow is slightly above the Earth’s surface at the beginning and end of the eclipse path, causing the Moon to shift. Annular solar eclipse. However, halfway through the eclipse’s path, the upper part of the moon’s umbra’s umbra hits Earth’s surface because that part of the planet is a little closer to the moon.
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This diagram of a hybrid solar eclipse shows how the Moon’s distance from Earth determines the shadow cast on the Earth’s surface, from the faint penumbra of a partial solar eclipse to the deep dark total shadow. half shade – annular.
When is the next hybrid solar eclipse?
The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023 in the Southern Hemisphere. It will change from annular to macro and back again at two specific points, but both are in locations far out at sea.
So, for all intents and purposes, this will be experienced exclusively as a total solar eclipse from Western Australia’s Exmouth Peninsula (up to 1 minute), Timor-Leste (1 minute 14 seconds) and West Papua (1 minute 9 seconds). Just before and right after college, a big screen of Bailey’s pearls It will be visible.
If you’d like to see the path of the eclipse, as well as the eclipse timings for each location, check out this interactive Eclipse map by Xavier Jubier (Opens in a new tab). It is one of the Two solar eclipses in 2023.
What are Billy Pearls?
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Named after the English astronomer Francis Bailey, who observed them in the early 19th century, they are the last rays of the sun to be seen crossing the valleys of the moon before totality. They can also be considered as the ends of the kidney. During a hybrid solar eclipse, Bailey’s bead widths are longer because the Moon is almost the same apparent size as the Sun.
How often does a hybrid solar refraction occur?
There are between two and five solar eclipses each year, even though they are occurring in the 21st century only 3.1% (Opens in a new tab) (7 of 224) A solar eclipse is a hybrid solar eclipse. Between 2000 BC and 3000 AD only 4.8% (Opens in a new tab) Solar eclipses are hybrid events.
The last hybrid solar eclipse occurred on November 3, 2013. It was visible as a total solar eclipse over central Africa, including northern Kenya, Uganda, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cruise ships in the mid-Atlantic have also experienced totals of up to a minute.
What is the other name for a hybrid solar eclipse?
Hybrid solar eclipses are often called total annular eclipses, “beaded” solar eclipses, or “fractured” annular eclipses, the latter two because they feature particularly long displays of Bailey’s pearls.
Because the moon appears to pass directly in front of the sun, hybrid solar eclipses are classified as “central” solar eclipses – just like total and annular solar eclipses – to distinguish them from partial solar eclipses.
Editor’s note: If you took a great photo of a solar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com readers, submit your photo(s), comments, name, and location to [email protected]
Jimmy Carter Editor whenIsTheNextEclipse.com (Opens in a new tab)
Join our space forums (Opens in a new tab) To continue talking about space in the latest missions, the night sky and more! And if you have a tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected]
Additional sources
Explore the different types of solar eclipses in more detail using this information. NASA article (Opens in a new tab). Texas State University (Opens in a new tab) It contains a useful list of many videos explaining the different types of eclipses.
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Picos, K.; (2022, November 13). What is a hybrid solar eclipse? Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/hybrid-solar-eclipse.html (Opens in a new tab)
Espinac, F.; (2007, February 13). Catalog of five thousand hybrid solar eclipses. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEhybrid5.html (Opens in a new tab)
Jubier, X. (2022, November 13). Five thousand years (-1999 to +3000) Solar Eclipse Canon Database. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from http://xjubier.free.fr/ar/site_pages/solar_eclipses/5MCSE/xSE_Five_Millennium_Canon.html (Opens in a new tab)
Nemiroff, R. and Bonnell, J. (November 3, 2013). Today’s astronomical picture. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131103.html (Opens in a new tab)