Solar eclipse (Express file photo)
Date and time of the solar eclipse 2020 in India: On December 14, the last of the eclipses of the year, the total solar eclipse will occur. A celestial event occurs when the new Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and totally blocks the Sun. The previous solar eclipse, which was an annular solar eclipse, occurred on June 21. So far, we have also seen four penumbral lunar eclipses in the year 2020.
According to timeanddate.com, the partial eclipse will begin at 19:04 IST on December 14, while the full eclipse will begin at 20:02 IST. The solar eclipse will peak at 9:43 p.m. and end at 12:23 p.m. IST on December 15.
Unlike the annual solar eclipse, the total solar eclipse will not be visible in India. The celestial event will be visible in a few selected cities, including Temuco, Villarrica, Sierra Colorada, located in Chile and Argentina. On the other hand, the Pacific Ocean, Antarctica and southern South America will witness a partial solar eclipse.
A maximum of five solar eclipses can occur in a year. However, in most years we only witness two solar eclipses. The number of solar eclipses that reach five is very rare since according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the last time it took place was in 1935 and the next time it is projected is in 2206. Also, in In the last 5,000 years, we have seen five solar eclipses in a year only 25 times.
The last lunar eclipse occurred on November 30. The penumbral lunar eclipse was not visible in India as it took place below the horizon.
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