What is happening on March 9? Many people around the world have started their countdown to the next total solar eclipse, which will take place between Tuesday 8 March and Wednesday 9 March 2016.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.
The eclipse next month will only be visible across an area of Pacific Ocean, beginning in Indonesia, and ending in the northern Pacific Ocean.
If viewed from east of the international date line – for instance from Hawaii – the eclipse will take place on March 8. The first people will start to see a partial eclipse at 23:19 GMT.
If viewed from west of the international date line – in parts of the Pacific including Indonesia, Malaysia, and large parts of South-East Asia and Australia – it will take place on 9 March. The last people will see it at 04.34 GMT.
The eclipse will be total in Indonesia and the central Pacific, starting at sunrise over Sumatra and ending at sunset north of Hawaii.
n most parts of India and Nepal the sun will rise partially eclipsed. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea will witness more than 50% partial eclipse.
Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand will see about 50% partial eclipsed sun. Australia, China, Japan and Alaska will get less than 50% partial eclipse.
Solar eclipses happen on average 2.4 times a year. Last year, on March 20, the UK experienced the biggest eclipse in over a decade , with parts of Scotland seeing 94% of their sun rays blocked out by the moon.
A total eclipse will not happen in the UK again until 2090.
Source: “Mirror”, “NASA”, “accuweather”
