2023-04-18 20:00:00
It cannot be denied that solar eclipses are one of the astronomical phenomena that cause the greatest fascination among the most aficionados. Either in the form of partial eclipsesthe most common manifestation where the Moon only occupies a part of the Sun; annular eclipses, in which the Moon blocks the center of the Sun, leaving a luminous ring visible at the ends (ring of fire); either total eclipseswhere the entire solar disk is blocked by the Moon, there is no doubt that they are events worthy of being marked on the calendar.
And although these types of eclipses are already rare, there is a fourth type whose appearance in the sky is restricted to approximately once a decade. Are the hybrid solar eclipses and they combine all of the above types into a single astronomical event. Fortunately, despite its infrequency, it will be possible to enjoy one this Thursday April 20.
WHAT ARE HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSES
Hybrid solar eclipses are basically an astronomical phenomenon where combine a total and annular eclipse. It is for this reason that they also tend to respond to the name annular-solar eclipses. They are characterized because, depending on the place on the globe from where the event is observed, one type or another of eclipse can be seen or, located in the precise place, the evolution from annular to total.
The first photos of a solar eclipse in the US
In this way, the hybrid eclipse will move across the sky in a certain geographical area, evolving while from one phase to another. An observer located in the sunrise or sunset zone will be able to see the partial eclipse evolve to annular, while someone located under the shadow zone of the eclipse will also experience the change to a total eclipse.
Obtaining the precise astronomical conditions for an eclipse of this type to be observed is very difficult. NASA remembers that almost 10 years ago since the last hybrid solar eclipse and that although a total of 223 solar eclipses are expected to occur this century, only 7 of them They will be hybrids.
WHY HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSES HAPPEN
It is possible to observe a hybrid solar eclipse thanks to, simply, the curvature of the earth. That is to say, it will be the distance of an observer to the Moon, determined by the place of the balloon where he is, the one that determines how do you see your size y what is the shape that the shadow casts on the earth’s surface.
Thus, if a user is located in an area of the globe from which the Sun and the Moon appear to be the same size when they are just in line over it, they will see howthe Moon is able to completely cover the Sun. On the contrary, at the time of sunrise or sunset, the distances will not look the same, since the Moon, being really smaller and closer, will suffer a variation in its apparent size, appearing smaller than the Sun and being unable to cover it up.
Wikipedia Cmglee
Types of eclipse according to the area of the earth’s surface where the observer is located
So, at the moment the eclipse occurs and the Moon and Sun move together across the sky, the user located in the shadow area (and who will be able to see the hybrid eclipse in its entirety) will observe how at dawn the Moon cannot completely block out the sun returning an annular eclipse and the luminosity of the ring of fire. However, as the eclipse progresses, the size of the Moon will increase until it will be able to hide the silhouette of the Sun, giving rise to evolution to total eclipse.
THE NEXT HYBRID SOLAR ECLIPSE
This Thursday, April 20, the southern hemisphere will have the chance to enjoy one of these exciting phenomena. This hybrid solar eclipse has been baptized by the Space Agency as That’s it, in honor of the strip of reef located off the Australian coast. This is because the eclipse will be seen as a hybrid from Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Oceania.
In Spanish peninsular time, the eclipse it will start on Thursday 20 at 2:34 AM in the Indian Ocean and end at 7:59 AM in the Pacific. It will last a total of 5 hours and a half, finding the maximum point of the eclipse, that is, the point where the total eclipse is observed, at 5:17 AM with a duration of approximately 1 minute. At that point, when the total eclipse returns to evolve towards annular, it will be possible to appreciate some points of light in the lower part of the phenomenon known as baily’s pearls which are due to sunlight filtering through the mountains and lunar relays.
Luis Rojas M.
Appearance of Baily’s pearls after the peak of a total solar eclipse.
LIVE BROADCASTING
Although the visibility zone of the eclipse is reduced to a small area of the globe, there is no cause for concern, since anyone who wants to can enjoy the phenomenon through online platforms. Specific, TimeandDate will do a live stream that will allow you to observe the complete evolution of the eclipse. The broadcast will begin on April 20 at 3:30 AMSpanish peninsular time.
The reason this broadcast begins one hour after the start of the eclipse is that it will be at that time when the annular eclipse begins its evolution towards totality and the user can directly enjoy the metamorphosis between both types.
In the same way, for the inhabitants of South America not favored by this phenomenon, such as residents of Mexico or Colombia, they will also be able to enjoy this online broadcast of the hybrid eclipse. In the case of Mexicothe broadcast will begin at 7:30 p.m. on April 19 and in Colombia at 8:30 p.m. on April 19.
NEXT ECLIPSES EASTERN 2023
If viewing this upcoming hybrid eclipse online doesn’t quite satisfy your desire to enjoy one of these phenomena, don’t worry. Although they are not hybrid type, still there are three eclipses left to occur in 2023two of them visible from Spain.
Thus, the May 5th it will be possible to enjoy a penumbral lunar eclipse, visible from Spain (except the northwest and the Canary Islands), Africa, Asia and Australia. He October 14th an annular solar eclipse will occur that will be seen as annular from the western United States, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil, and as partial in all of the Americas except the extreme south. Finally, the year 2023 will close its “eclipsal calendar” with a partial lunar eclipse on October 28visible from Europe, including all areas of Spain, as well as certain areas of America, Africa, Asia and Australia