The global annular solar eclipse, referred to as a ring of fire, on Tuesday will only be a partial one over South Africa, with visibility expected to be shorter than an hour and a half.
Over Johannesburg, it is due to begin at 2.26pm, with peak viewing expected at 3.11pm and ending at 3.54pm, according to the Time and Date website.
The South African National Space Agency, which will be doing a livestream, estimates about 5% solar coverage in the Western Cape.
Despite it being only a sliver in SA, the public is warned not to try to observe it without special glasses as it can hurt your eyesight.
The CSR Journal said the annular eclipse takes place when the moon aligns between the earth and the sun but does not entirely cover the sun’s disk.
“On this occasion, the moon will be positioned farther from earth, making its apparent size smaller than that of the sun. Consequently, only the outer edges of the sun will be visible, creating the striking effect known as the ‘ring of fire’,” it said.
During the maximum phase of the eclipse, around 96% of the sun’s surface will be obscured by the moon.
The complete annular eclipse will primarily be observable from Antarctica and the surrounding southern ocean regions, the website reported.
Looking directly at the phenomenon can burn the retinas in the eyes. According to Nasa, the only way to safely view it is to either project or filter the sun’s rays.
A solar eclipse should not be viewed with sunglasses, colour film, medical X-ray film, smoked glass or floppy disks.
The SA space agency livestream, which will include safe telescope views and expert commentary, will begin at 2.01pm and end at 3.24pm.
Watch it here:
TimesLIVE
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