Chennai: There will be four eclipses in 2021, including one total solar eclipse and one total lunar eclipse, but only two will be visible from India, Ujjain-based Jiwaji Observatory’s Superintendent Dr Rajendraprakash Gupt said on Sunday.
He said that the first of these events will be on 26 May, and will be seen in parts of West Bengal, coastal Odisha and in the north-eastern states, except Sikkim, as the moon is visible earlier in these places than other parts of the country.
“The earth will cover the moon by 101.6 per cent during this astronomical event,” he said.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon.
Gupt said the annular solar eclipse on 10 June will not be visible in India, and in this event, the moon will come between the sun and earth, leading to the sun getting covered 94.3 per cent and being seen as a āring of fire’.
He said the partial lunar eclipse, on 19 November, can be seen from Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of Assam for a very short period.
“At the peak of this event, 97.9 per cent of the moon will be seen covered by the earth’s shadow. The total solar eclipse on 4 December, the last of 2021, will, however, not be visible from India,” he added.