7 facts to know about the UAE’s ‘Ring of Fire’

The rare solar eclipse will take place in on Boxing Day, December 26, and will be seen in the UAE for the first time since 1847. The eclipse will leave a ring of Sun when hitting the point of totality, and this type of eclipse is called an annular eclipse.

Why do we get the ring of fire: The reason, according to ScienceAlert.com, is due to the distance of our planet’s satellite. The Moon is currently closer to its apogee – the point in its orbit furthest away from Earth – that makes it appear three per cent smaller than the Sun when viewed from Earth.

A solar eclipse always comes within approximately two weeks of a lunar eclipse, and usually in a single pair, one solar and one lunar. The annular solar eclipse will take place on December 26, 2019, while a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse will happen on January 10, 2020, says earthsky.org.

The annular eclipse will be seen in many places across the world, including Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Indonesia, parts of eastern Africa and northern Australia. The Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) said although the ring of fire will not be seen in all areas of India but from places like Kannur in Kerala and along the southern coast of the country.

Duration of the eclipse in UAE: The annular eclipse will last almost two and a half hours. The actual eclipse when the moon is fully in front of the sun covering a maximum 91.93 per cent of its face, will only last two minutes 47 seconds from 7.35am to 7.38am, for those watching in Liwa. Even those watching from outside the full eclipse coverage area will still witness 87.18 per cent partial eclipse.

The annular solar eclipse is the most dangerous of 2019. Like all solar eclipses, it is important to wear eclipse glasses as not all the Sun’s light is completely blocked. It is important to wear them all the time to prevent eye damage or blindness.

The next annular solar eclipse will be observed on June 21, 2020 when 99 per cent of the Sun will be blocked very briefly by the Moon. It will only be seen from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India, Tibet, China, Taiwan and Guam.