The total solar eclipse of 2020: What time does it begin?

The total solar eclipse of 2020: What time does it begin?

The only total solar eclipse of 2020 is coming up this Monday (Dec. 14) and here's how you can follow along with its phases.

The total solar eclipse, which is the last eclipse of 2020, will be visible to observers across a narrow swath of the South Pacific, Chile, Argentina and the southern Atlantic Ocean, while a partial eclipse will be visible from a wider region in the Pacific, southern South America and Antarctica.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon appears to pass in front the sun as viewed from Earth.

When they line up exactly, the moon covers the entire sun and causes a total eclipse, while at other times it only covers part of the sun in a partial eclipse. There is not a solar eclipse every month because the moon's orbit is tilted with respect to the sun and does not always align with the star.

In remarks on the event, Dr. Hasan Mohammed Assiri, Chairman of the department of astronomia and space at Jeddah King Abdulaziz University, said that the coming solar eclipse will be an annular eclipse that takes place on 10 June 2021 and will be seen in Russia, north Canada and Greenland.

However, Dr. Assiri cautioned looking directly to the sun as its rays negatively affect eyes of humans.

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