Rare hybrid solar eclipse to appear in South Pacific this week


On Thursday, a rare type of solar eclipse known as a hybrid eclipse will appear in the sky. This is when an eclipse is both a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse at the same time, when normally it is either one or the other. This type of eclipse only makes up approximately 3 percent of the eclipses to occur in the 21st century.
During a total solar eclipse, the moon "covers the body of the sun entirely, leaving only the fiery solar corona visible," while in a partial or annular eclipse, the moon "covers only part of the sun," which is a far more frequent form of the eclipse, Time writes. Whether the viewer will see a total eclipse or a partial eclipse depends on where they are viewing it from. This particular eclipse is traveling across the South Pacific Ocean and those located along its narrow path will see a total eclipse while those around it will see a partial eclipse.
East Timor, Indonesia, and one inhabited town in Australia will be able to see a true total eclipse, while the rest of the South Pacific will see a partial eclipse, LiveScience explains. In addition, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, "two spots will present viewers with the eclipse transitioning from annular to total and back again." Use eclipse glasses when viewing to avoid damage from staring at the sun. The eclipse will also be live-streamed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on Nov. 14, 2031, over North America. But the next total solar eclipse over North America will take place on April 8, 2024.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Climate: Trump's attempt to bring back coal
Feature Trump rolls back climate policies with executive orders aimed at reviving the coal industry
By The Week US
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'
Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Space ads could be coming to a sky near you
Under the radar Making space for commercial profits
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
We could be living in a black hole
Under the radar And our universe may not be the only one
By Devika Rao, The Week US