Srinagar, Aug 11: A total solar eclipse will occur on Wednesday, August 12, but skywatchers in Jammu and Kashmir or even across mainland India will not be able to witness the celestial event directly as the eclipse will take place while the Sun is below the horizon.
Astronomical calculations for Jammu and Kashmir confirm that the August 12 eclipse will not be visible from the city. The same applies to locations across India, with the eclipse occurring locally during nighttime hours.
The eclipse will begin at 15:34 GMT, or 9:04 pm Indian Standard Time, and its different phases will unfold through the night in India. Since the Sun will have already set, no part of the eclipse will be visible from Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere in the country.
The total solar eclipse will be visible along a path stretching across parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia and Spain, with a small portion of Portugal also witnessing totality. Around 15 million people are expected to be located within the path of totality, while hundreds of millions more across Europe, northwestern Africa and parts of North America will see a partial eclipse.
Notably, in a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, completely obscuring the solar disc for observers within the narrow path of totality. The phenomenon can briefly turn daytime skies dark and reveal the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere, or corona.
The August 12 event is expected to be particularly significant for Europe, as mainland Europe will witness its first total solar eclipse since 1999. In Spain, cities including León, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Teruel and Valencia lie within the path of totality, while Madrid and Barcelona will experience more than 99 per cent solar coverage despite falling just outside the totality band.
The next total solar eclipse visible from parts of the wider region will occur on August 2, 2027, with the path of totality crossing southern Spain, North Africa and Yemen.
