Solar Eclipse 2020 Date: How and when to watch the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse in India (Image: Nehru Planetarium)

Solar Eclipse 2020 Date and Time in India: The first solar eclipse of 2020 will take place on June 21. It will be an annular solar eclipse, during which the Moon will cover only 70 per cent of the Sun, according to the Nehru Planetarium. The eclipse will begin at 10 AM IST in Mumbai, with the Moon blocking the Sun’s upper side and will slowly cover the Sun. The peak of the solar eclipse will be reached at 11:37 AM IST and it will end at 1:27 PM IST.

“The solar eclipse will be visible from 10:20am to 1:48pm with maximum visibility at 12:01pm in Delhi. Sun will be visible like a necklace. It will travel West to East. People can watch it via webcasts amid the COVID19 lockdown,” Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library said.

During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon is a bit far than usual from the Earth, causing it to appear much smaller than the Sun to appear much smaller. Due to this, the Moon will not be able to completely cover the Sun and for a short period of time, a ring of fire will be visible in the sky.

The eclipse, according to the Nehru Planetarium, will be first seen in Bhuj starting at 9:58 AM IST and will be seen ending last in Dibrugarh at 2:29 PM IST. This will be the last eclipse to be seen from India for the next 28 months. The next eclipse will be seen in India on October 25, 2022.

How to watch Solar Eclipse without damaging eyes

* Using special goggles: You can get a pair of specially made goggles, which will allow you to look directly at the Sun without damaging your retina.

* Using welder’s filter: Arc welders in fabrication shops use a special dark filter while welding things. This filter can also be used to look directly at the sun.

Solar Eclipse on June 21: India timings

* Pinhole imaging technique: If you do not have access to special equipment like glasses, you can make a pinhole in a card sheet and hold it under the Sun. Under it, you would be required to keep a white paper, on which the image of the Sun can be seen. You can also tape a card sheet with a pinhole on a mirror and reflect the image of the Sun on a distant wall.

Solar Eclipse 2020 Date: Here’s how you can reflect the image of the sun on a wall. (Image: Nehru Planetarium)

* Using binoculars: The image of the sun can be put up on a sheet of white paper using a pair of binoculars pointed at the Sun.

Now that you know how you can see the upcoming solar eclipse, here’s how the Nehru Planetarium says you should never view the solar eclipse.

* Do not look at the Sun directly as it is very dangerous to the retina of the eye.

* Do not use ordinary goggles, as they are not dark enough and are made to cut only the terrestrial light.

* Do not look at the reflection of the Sun in the water as water does not reduce the intensity of sunrays to safe limits.

* Do not use a glass surface covered with lampblack or carbon soot as it is not safe.

Solar Eclipse 2020: Locations, timings for annular eclipse 

Site                  Begins             Max                 End               duration

Dehra Dun      10:24 AM       12:05 PM        1:50 PM          14.0

Gharsana         10:12 AM       11:50 AM       1:36 PM          29.8

Kalanka           10:28 AM       12:10 PM        1:55 PM          28.0

Kurukshetra    10:21 AM        12:01 PM        1:47 PM          30.4

The Moon will cover about 99.5 per cent area of the Sun.

Solar Eclipse 2020: Locations where partial eclipse will be seen

Site                  Begins             Max                 End               %cover

Agra                10:19 AM       12:02 PM        1:50 PM          90

Ahmedabad     10:03 AM       11:41 AM       1:32 PM          82

Amritsar          10:19 AM       11:57 AM       1:41 PM          94

Bengaluru       10:12 AM       11:47 AM       1:31 PM          47

Bhuj                09:58 AM       11:33 AM       1:23 PM          86

Chennai           10:22 AM       11:58 AM       1:41 PM          46

Dibrugarh       11:07 AM       12:54 PM        2:29 PM          89

Gawahati         10:57 AM       12:45 PM        2:24 PM          84

Hyderabad      10:14 AM       11:55 AM       1:44 PM          60

Indore              10:10 AM       11:51 AM       1:42 PM          78

Jaipur              10:14 AM       11:55 AM       1:44 PM          91

Japal                10:15 AM       11:56 AM       1:44 PM          59

Jodhpur           10:08 AM       11:47 AM       1:35 PM          91

Kandla            09:59 AM       11:35 AM       1:24 PM          85

K’kumari        10:17 AM       11:41 AM       1:15 PM          33

Kochi              10:10 AM       11:38 AM       1:17 PM          40

Kolkata           10:46 AM       12:35 PM        2:17 PM          72

Leh                  10:29 AM       12:06 PM        1:47 PM          87

Lucknow         10:26 AM       12:11 PM        1:58 PM          88

Mt. Abu          10:05 AM       11:44 AM       1:34 PM          87

Mumbai          10:00 AM       11:37 AM       1:27 PM          70

Naini Tal         10:25 AM       12:08 PM        1:54 PM          96

Nanded            10:11 AM       11:53 AM       1:42 PM          66

New Delhi       10:19 AM       12:01 PM        1:48 PM          95

Port Blair        11:15 AM       12:53 PM        2:18 PM          39

Pune                10:02 AM       11:40 AM       1:30 PM          67

Rajkot             09:59 AM       11:35 AM       1:25 PM          82

Shilong            10:57 AM       12:46 PM        2:24 PM          83

Srinagar          10:23 AM       11:59 AM       1:40 PM          86

Trivandrum     10:14 AM       11:39 AM       1:15 PM          35

Udaipur           10:07 AM       11:47 AM       1:36 PM          86