Solar eclipse 2025: Will India see the March 29 ‘double sunrise’? Know here

Eye protection is crucial during the eclipse; use eclipse glasses or solar viewers, avoiding regular sunglasses and optical devices.

This year's first solar eclipse will be seen on March 29. Due to the partial eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth will not be in exact alignment. Consequently, only a fraction of the Sun will be obscured, giving the impression that a piece has been removed from it. Throughout the event, appropriate eye protection will be required because, unlike a total solar eclipse, the Sun won't be entirely obscured, as reported by News18.

The Sun, Moon, and Earth will not be perfectly aligned because of the partial eclipse. As a result, only a portion of the Sun will be hidden, creating the appearance that something has been taken away from it.(Unsplash )

Will India be able to see a solar eclipse?

India will not be able to witness this cosmic spectacle, since the Moon's shadow will not cross the country during the event.

Where will the eclipse be visible?

*With up to 93.1% of the Sun obscured, particularly in Northern Quebec, the eclipse will be most visible in Eastern and Northern Canada.

*There will also be a significant eclipse in the northeastern United States, covering over 85% of the Sun.

*Parts of Africa, Siberia, the Caribbean, and Europe will be able to see a shallower partial eclipse.

*About 66% of the sun will be blocked in Reykjavik, Iceland, making it one of the places with the lowest coverage levels.

*The eclipse will already be underway at daybreak in North and South America.

*In eastern Europe and northern Asia, it will happen in the afternoon or early evening, but in western Europe and northwest Africa, it will happen in the middle to late morning.

March 2025 Solar Eclipse: Timings

On Saturday, March 29th, 2025's first solar eclipse will take place. The eclipse is scheduled to start at 4:50 AM EDT (2:20 PM IST), peak around 6:47 AM EDT, and terminate at approximately 8:43 AM EDT. The eclipse will begin in India at 2:20 PM IST and reach its zenith at 4:17 PM IST. However, India will not be able to see the eclipse because of the time difference and the event's alignment.

Precautions to take while watching the eclipse

Use Appropriate Eye Protection: When viewing the eclipse, always wear eclipse glasses or a secure handheld solar viewer. Because they don't block enough sunlight, regular sunglasses—even dark ones—are unsafe to wear. Use only solar viewers that adhere to the international safety standard ISO 12312-2.

Avoid Looking Through Optical Devices: When wearing eclipse glasses, avoid looking at the Sun through any kind of optical equipment, including binoculars, telescopes, or camera lenses. Serious eye injuries could result from the focused photons burning through the filter. To safely view the Sun, use a specialised sun filter.

Employ Indirect Viewing Techniques: To view the Sun without eclipse glasses, project its image onto a surface using a pinhole projector. Avoid looking straight through the pinhole. On the ground, tree leaves can likewise produce organic pinhole projections of the eclipse.

A partial solar eclipse: what is it?

When the Moon partially obscures the Sun's disc while passing between the Earth and the Sun, this is known as a partial solar eclipse. Since the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not exactly in line during this kind of eclipse, the Moon only partially obscures the Earth's surface, giving the impression that the Sun is partially hidden from some parts of the planet.

The Sun would appear to have had a "bite" removed from it to viewers in the penumbra, the path of the partial shadow, during a partial solar eclipse.