Solar eclipse 2019: 'Ring of fire' to be visible in parts of India; here's how you can watch and other details

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The last solar eclipse of 2019 will be visible in India along with several other countries a day after Christmas.

This will be an annular solar eclipse, which happens when the Moon covers the sun's centre, leaving the sun's visible outer edges to form a ‘ring of fire’ or annulus - around the moon.

However, the 'ring of fire' will be visible in places like Kannur in Kerala and along the southern coast of the country.

The annular eclipse will appear as a partial eclipse in thousands of kilometers area elsewhere where the ring will not be seen.

The maximum obstruction of the sun during the eclipse when seen from different cities of India will be 89.4 percent in Bengaluru, 84.6 percent in Chennai, 78.8 percent in Mumbai, 74.3 percent in Hyderabad, 66 percent in Ahmedabad and 44.7 percent in Delhi, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) said.

In Kolkata, the eclipse will be around 45.1 percent and will begin at 08:26:55 am, reach its maximum at 09:52:37 am and end at 11:32:37 am.

Apart from India, the eclipse will be visible in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

The annular solar eclipse of December 26 will begin around 180 kilometres west of Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia, as per Eclipseportal. In India, the annular path will cross in a south-easterly direction with the central line passing just 20 kilometers north of Coimbatore. Coimbatore will be the first major city to see the annular eclipse, said the portal.

The path of annularity then progresses over the Palk Straight and across the northern tip of Sri Lanka where Jaffna, the capital of the Northern Province, will enjoy an annual solar eclipse lasting 2 minutes and 59 seconds.

The celestial event will begin in India at 7:59 am with a partial eclipse when the moon touches the edge of the Sun. The full or annular eclipse will start at 9:04 am and it will reach its maximum at 10:47 am when the moon is closest to the centre of the sun. The annular phase will end at 12.30 pm and by 1:35 pm, the moon will leave the edges of the Sun, ending the partial eclipse, stated timeanddate.com.

The BITM, the first science museum in the country under the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), has made arrangements for direct observation of partial eclipse through telescope fitted with filters on December 26 from 8.15 am onward, for the general public. Special viewing glasses have also been arranged for the general public to observe the rare celestial event.