Pagasa: Annular solar eclipse to be visible in PH on Dec 26
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MANILA, Philippines — The anticipated annular solar eclipse on December 26 will be visible in the Philippines, particularly in the southernmost parts of the country.
In an advisory posted on its website, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the upcoming eclipse will also be visible in some parts of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
Article continues after this advertisementAn annular eclipse, Pagasa said, occurs when the moon is farthest from Earth. Because of this, the moon seems smaller and does not block the entire view of the sun, creating a “ring of fire” effect.
According to Pagasa, the best sites to observe the solar eclipse will be in Balut and Batulaki, Sarangani Island in Davao Occidental.
Nevertheless, it said, the eclipse may be partially seen in some parts of the country.
Article continues after this advertisementIn Manila, Pagasa said the eclipse can be viewed from 12:32 p.m. until 3:47 p.m.
In Mactan, Cebu, the eclipse will occur a few minutes later – from 12:40 p.m. up to 3:54 p.m.
During a press conference Friday, Pagasa officials said the country will witness another annular solar eclipse on June 21, 2020.
But a low-pressure area (LPA) was forecast to bring rains over Visayas and Mindanao next week. Could this affect the visibility of the eclipse?
“Malaki po talaga ang possibility na makaapekto ito sa aming observation (There’s a big possibility that this will affect our observation),” Mario Raymundo, Pagasa chief Astronomical Observation and Time Service Unit, admitted during the briefing. “Sana po ay mas mabilis dumaan ang masamang panahon dyan sa Mindanao. (We hope that the LPA will move away quickly in Mindanao).”
Raymundo explained that based on history, Balut is known to have cloudy weather. Nevertheless, he added: “We do pray na hindi siya maulap dun sa time ng aming (it will not be cloudy during our time of) observation.”
