Solar eclipse today: Why is it called a 'Ring of Fire' eclipse? Details here
A 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse will take place on October 2, lasting over six hours.
A 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse, which will last for over six hours, will occur on Wednesday (October 2). Today's eclipse will begin at 7:12 pm (IST) on Wednesday and ends at 3:17 am IST the next day. However, the peak of this 'Ring of Fire' eclipse, will occur at around 12:15 am IST on October 3.
The eclipse will be visible over water in the Pacific. It will be clearly seen from Argentina and Chile. The eclipse will not be observable in India as the peak will be seen at nighttime.
A partial view of the solar eclipse, in which the Sun appears as a crescent, will be seen from several locations such as Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Hawaii.
During this 'Ring of Fire' eclipse, the Moon as it will be too far from Earth to completely shadow the Sun, will create a radiant outline of sunlight around its dark centre. This outline is called the 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse.
Why is today's eclipse called 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse
The 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse is a celestial phenomenon in which the moon comes between the Earth and the Sun at a distance from which it cannot entirely cover the Sun but a major part of it.
When the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun attempting to obscure the Sun, it is at a distance where it fails to completely cover the Sun, exhibiting a glowing ring of sunlight around the dark centre of the Sun. The next solar eclipse will not arrive until 2026.
Notably, the 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse is different from the total solar eclipse in which the moon completely blocks the Sun.
As far as the upcoming solar eclipse is concerned, a partial solar eclipse will next occur on March 29, 2025. Just like today's solar eclipse, the partial eclipse will not be visible in India but will be seen in parts of the northeastern US, eastern Canada, Greenland, Europe, northwest Africa, and northern Russia.