Witness The Rare Moment Of A Ring Solar Eclipse On December 26

Illustration of a ring solar eclipse (settlemet.com)

JAKARTA - In the near future, Indonesians will witness a natural phenomenon of the Ring Solar Eclipse, on 26 December. This rare moment will be observed in six regions in Indonesia.

According to forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Ring Solar Eclipse is predicted to start at 12:15 WIB and enter the peak phase at 12.17 WIB. In Indonesia, this ring solar eclipse will pass through 25 city centers and districts in seven provinces, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

"At the peak of the earliest eclipse is Sabang City which occurs at 11.49.32.9 WIB. The city that will experience the last peak time is Jayapura, which is at 15.51.19.7 WIT. Although the GMC event in one location can be predicted by well, the event did not repeat itself at that location with a certain cycle, "wrote on the BMKG website.

Apart from Indonesia, this ring solar eclipse can also be observed from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean, Singapore, Malaysia and the Pacific Ocean. In addition, it can be observed in a little part of Eastern Africa, the entire region of Asia, the Indian Ocean, northern Australia and the Pacific Ocean in the form of a partial solar eclipse.

Quoting from the Space page, the first country to see a ring solar eclipse is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to be precise 220 kilometers northeast. Meanwhile, the Guam area will be the last place on earth to see this rare phenomenon.

Based on a press release from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), the phenomenon of a ring solar eclipse occurs when the moon is in line with the sun. At that time, the disk of the moon will cover the reflection of the sun and create an umbra cone or the shadow of the core that is in the middle. This phenomenon is observed on earth as a ring solar eclipse.

To witness this rare moment, it is not recommended to see a solar eclipse directly with the naked eye. Because when 99 percent of the sun's surface is covered, the edges will emit very bright sunlight and are dangerous for vision.

The path of the Ring Solar Eclipse (doc.Gerhanaindonesia.id)

Failure to use the right special glasses can cause permanent eye damage. Also, the safest way to observe a solar eclipse is indirectly by using a pinhole camera that you can easily make yourself at home. But if you have to document one of these phenomena.

This eclipse on December 26, 2019 is the fifth and third solar eclipse throughout 2019. The previous solar eclipse occurred on July 2, 2019 and only a few areas can see it, namely in North America, South America and the Pacific Ocean.