This Sunday, a solar eclipse will be visible to people in many parts of the world on the day of summer solstice. So how rare is this solar eclipse?
While there are several types of solar eclipses that occur every year, certain countries in Africa and Asia will be able to witness an annular solar eclipse on June 21 (Sunday).
What is a solar eclipse and how many kinds are there?
A solar eclipse can be partial, total or annular. The fourth kind – the hybrid solar eclipse - which is rare and a combination of an annular and a total eclipse. An eclipse occurs when the earth, the moon and the sun come in the same line and in that order.
The sun becomes partially or completely hidden behind the moon. On this solar eclipse, we will see a ring of fire around the moon as the natural satellite will not cover the periphery of the sun.
The bright ring or the annulus of the sun remains visible during an annular eclipse as the moon appears to be smaller than the sun.
Do solar eclipses occur less frequently than the lunar eclipse?
It is believed that solar eclipses happen less frequently than the lunar counterpart. However, it is not true.
Lunar eclipses take place when the moon remains hidden to our view from the earth when earth casts a shadow on the moon thus not letting it receive any sunlight. Although lunar and solar eclipses occur with about the same frequency, the latter kind is less visible as the moon casts a smaller shadow on the earth during a solar eclipse.
How rare is the upcoming annular solar eclipse?
Although a solstice happens twice every year, getting a solstice on a new year is rare. The last of this kind happened on June 21, 2001 – a whopping 19 years ago. And surely, a new moon coincided with a solstice on a 19-year pattern.
The event took place on June 21, 1982 and the next one is going to happen on June 21, 2039.
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