Hybrid Solar Eclipse 2023: What is this Celestial Event All About? Know Regions Where It Will Be Visible

Hybrid solar eclipse is a rare astronomical incident wherein the sun resembles a look of a ‘ring of fire’. However, the event will not be witnessed in India.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: April 20, 2023

On Thursday, a rare event of the century will take place. We are talking about the first solar eclipse incident for 2023. And it is an astronomical surprise for being a hybrid solar eclipse this time. The latter has several attributes to make it different from annular and total solar eclipses. Skywatchers can experience the view in certain regions of Southeast Asia and in Australia, and a few areas in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, in India, the hybrid solar eclipse will not be visible.

So, when does a hybrid solar eclipse occur? It is when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun in a way that a solar eclipse happens by blocking the sunlight. The earth’s surface is then covered with a shadow, which is again visible to only particular parts of the world. A hybrid solar eclipse according to NASA happens because of the earth’s surface curvature and transition from an annular to a total eclipse.

In a total eclipse, the sun is completely covered by the moon. In an annular eclipse, the moon obscures the sun but leaves a solar ring in the outline, which makes the sun seem smaller. And in a hybrid eclipse, both events occur simultaneously. The sun bears a ring of fire look because of its ring shape. And when around the moon, it takes place only for a few seconds.

In the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the ring of fire will show up for a few seconds. And in these locations, one can see the transition of the eclipse from annual to total, and then reverting to an annular eclipse. In Western Australia, the timing for the hybrid solar eclipse will be from 2:29 to 2:35 GMT, April 20, or rather 10:29 pm to 10:35 pm EDT. In Indonesia, the timings are 3:23 to 3:58 GMT, on April 20, or 11:23 pm to 11:58 pm EDT on April 19.

In East Timor from 3:19 to 3:22 GMT, April 20, or 11:19 pm to 11:22 pm EDT on April 19. A hybrid solar eclipse is so rare that it takes place only at times in a century. In this century, the last one occurred in 2013 and now it is back in 2023. The next one will happen in 2031. And in the next century, it will occur on 23 March, 2164.