The first solar eclipse of 2020 will take place on June 21, during which the moon will cover the sun from the centre leaving a ring of light visible in the sky.
The solar eclipse of June 21 is an annular eclipse where the Moon is so far from Earth that its relative size fails to cover the Sun completely and leaves the outer rims visible, thus creating a ring of fire in the sky. The June 21 solar eclipse is the first solar eclipse of the year 2020. The second and last solar eclipse of the year will occur in December but it won’t be visible in India. The annular solar eclipse on June 21 will be the last eclipse to be seen from India until October 25, 2022.
During the solar eclipse, the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun by 1 per cent, the expert said.
Allying rumours that the eclipse will mark the end of coronavirus, Aniket Sule, Chairperson, Public Outreach and Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India, said: “Solar eclipse is caused when the Moon comes in front of the Sun for a short time. As seen from Earth eclipses occur somewhere in the Earth 2 to 5 times a year. Eclipses do not impact microorganisms on Earth. Likewise there no danger in eating of stepping out during an eclipse. No mysterious rays come out of the Sun during an eclipse.”