‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse to be visible in parts of Pakistan on June 21
The first solar eclipse of the decade is set to occur on June 21,2020 and create a rare “Ring of Fire”. The rare view would be visible in some cities of the country, a statement released by Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) Climate Data Processing Centre.
“An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun completely blocking the sun’s light. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon does not completely cover the sun as it passes, leaving a glowing ring of sunlight visible,” the Climate Data Processing Centre said.
“The partial eclipse begins at 08:46 PST [8:46am] and partial eclipse ends at 14:34 PST [2:34pm] with greatest eclipse will occur at 11:40 PST [11:40am],” it added.
The Climate Data Processing Centre in its statement said that people residing in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Sukkur, and Gwadar could observe the eclipse at various partial levels, with only those in Sukkur to see the annular eclipse in almost its entirety — at the Sun’s coverage of 98.78%.
the Climate Data Processing Centre added that Gilgit would have the least Sun’s coverage in the eclipse, at 74.88%.
It has also been stated by PMD that along with Pakistan, the solar eclipse would also be visible in India and China. It will also be witnessed in parts of Africa — including the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Ethiopia.