The year 2020 is going to witness the first solar eclipse of the year, on Sunday, which is a rare occurrence. Solar Eclipse, popularly called the ring of fire eclipse, occurs when the earth gets overshadowed, as the moon comes in the middle of the Earth and the Sun and therefore, the Sun gets entirely covered by the moon for a temporary period. When seen from the earth, the phenomenon looks similar to a dark round shadow which is actually the moon.

"Annular solar eclipse is a particular case of the total solar eclipse. Like the total solar eclipse, the Moon is aligned with the Sun. However, on that day, the apparent size of the Moon happens to be a wee smaller than the Sun. Hence, the Moon covers the central part of the Sun, and the rim of the Sun appears like a 'ring of fire' in the sky for a very brief moment" said Samir Dhurde of The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.

This year, the solar eclipse occurs on the longest day in the Northern hemisphere, which is the summer solstice. The eclipse will be clearly visible from some North Indian cities like Dehradun, Kurukshetra, Anupgrah, Joshimath, Sirsha, Suratgarh and others. While people residing in other areas like Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Chennai will get to see a partial eclipse. On the other hand, some parts of Africa, Pakistan, China and the Middle-East will also be able to experience the phenomenon.

A press release issued by Indian Government said, "In India, the obscuration of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest phase of the annular eclipse will be nearly 98.6%. Obscuration of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest phase of partial eclipse will be around 94 per cent in Delhi, 80 per cent in Guwahati, 78 per cent in Patna, 75 per cent in Silchar, 66 per cent in Kolkata, 62 per cent in Mumbai, 37 per cent in Bangalore, 34 per cent in Chennai, 28 per cent in Port Blair etc."

However, various doctors and scientists say that it can be dangerous to watch a solar eclipse with naked eyes, as the eyeball can get affected by the bright and powerful light, and a person may get blind. The experts suggest wearing sunglasses, binoculars to protect the eyes from the intense light of the eclipse. Arvind Paranjpye, Director, Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai says, "Often the Public Outreach and Education Committee of Astronomical Society of India and other astronomical institutions/ planetariums and other science popularization agencies usually make arrangements for safe viewing of the eclipse. However, due to the lockdown this time, we are not able to make solar filters available. Further, we strongly advise people not to gather in large numbers to view the eclipse given the pandemic situation. There are easy tips for viewing the eclipse from the safety of your home."

The government issued some tips in view of tomorrow's solar eclipse, where it said, "Do not use sunglasses, goggles, exposed, x-ray sheets or lampblack over a glass. They are not safe. Nor is viewing the Sun's image on the surface of the water."

"Welders glass #13 or #14 can be used to see the Sun directly with naked eyes," it further added.