A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Sri Lanka today, the 25th of October 2022.
Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Professor of Physics, and Director of the Astronomy and Space Science Unit at the University of Colombo said the partial solar eclipse will be visible in most parts of Sri Lanka tomorrow at sunset but will be best seen from Jaffna.
Issuing a statement, he said for the city of Jaffna, the partial eclipse begins at 5.27 p.m. and the maximum eclipse occurs at 5.46 p.m. with 8.8 % of the solar disk covered by the moon. Though the eclipse ends at 6.20 p.m. it can be observed only up to the sunset due at 5.49 p.m. This eclipse will be visible in Jaffna for 22 minutes.
The northern part of Sri Lanka, from Anuradhapura to Jaffna, is the most suitable region to observe this eclipse, while this eclipse is not visible to the southern parts of Sri Lanka.
For those who live in Colombo, the beginning of the partial eclipse can be observed at 5.43 p.m. and the maximum eclipse at 5.49 p.m. with the moon covering about 1.6% of the solar disk. The partial solar eclipse cannot be observed after 5.52 p.m. due to sunset. This eclipse will be visible to the Colombo area for about 9 minutes, Prof. Chandana Jayaratne said.
The Professor further said that since this eclipse occurs when the sun is very dim near the western horizon close to sunset, it is fairly okay to observe the eclipse even without a solar filter.
He added that naked eye observations at the eclipse maximum time and afterward for a short period of fewer than 30 seconds will not cause any damage to the eyes.
The partial solar eclipse will also be visible over much of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and western parts of Asia.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in a straight line between the Earth and the Sun. The Moon’s shadow then passes across the Earth’s surface and blocks the Sun’s light as seen from Earth. A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day. (NewsWire)
