Eclipse 2019: First eclipse in 20 years. There will be an annular eclipse of the sun on Thursday (December 26) and, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, it will be visible in Pakistan for the first time in 20 years.
The eclipse will start at Pakistan Standard Time at 7:30am and will become a total eclipse at 8:37am.
After 20 years, the solar eclipse is said to be a rare and historic occurrence.
Scientists have named it a perfect celestial gift because this time the moon will cover 97% of the sun’s core and a “ring of fire” will appear in the sky for a few minutes.
Despite Pakistan’s last eclipse in 1999, owing to cloudy skies, most of the radiation did not reach Earth. But this time the skies are going to be crystal clear and the radiation effect is going to be direct.
People were told not to look with naked eyes directly at the sun as it could lead to blindness or harm to the skin.
A total solar eclipse is safe to look at as bright as the full moon, according to NASA. You should only look at the sun at all other times, though, using pinhole cameras or solar viewing glasses.
Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar, Lahore, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad will see the solar eclipse.
According to the Met department, it will also be evident elsewhere in Asia, Eastern Europe, Australia, Eastern Africa, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. News report on Eclipse 2019: First eclipse in 20 years.