Thursday mid-day celestial spectacle: Partial solar eclipse
MANILA, Philippines — A partial solar eclipse would be visible from the country on Thursday morning and early afternoon according to The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The eclipse will be visible in the country from 11:44 a.m. to 2:04 p.m.
The partial eclipse is the result of a rare hybrid solar eclipse that will be observed from western Australia, East Timor, and Eastern Indonesia.
“A hybrid solar eclipse combines an annular and a total solar eclipse. At the eclipse’s path, it can produce a variety of phenomena for observers at various locations,” Pagasa said in its April astronomical diary.
“At the beginning of the event, the observer may witness an annular solar eclipse or a brief “ring of fire”, then observe a totality during the hybrid solar eclipse’s middle phase and switch it back to an annular solar eclipse before the eclipse is over,” it added.
The eclipse in the Philippines will hit its maximum obscuration at 12:55 PM. Manila will witness an obscuration of 23.7% while Batanes and Sarangani will observe 12% and 58% obscuration, respectively.
Pagasa has advised the public not to look directly into the eclipse unless equipped with Mylar film eclipse glasses.
The last two partial solar eclipses to be visible in Philippine skies were observed last December 26, 2019 and June 21, 2020 in Manila.
Pagasa predicts that the next total solar eclipse in the Philippines will take place in exactly 19 years (April 20, 2042). Manila will witness a partial solar eclipse with 94.3% obscuration while Boracay will observe a total solar eclipse.
