In 2023, when and where can you see a rare hybrid Solar Eclipse? See Here

Digital Desk: Good news for people who loves stargazing will witness a rare event in the skies as the Moon blocks the sun's light from reaching Earth. The occasion is a hybrid solar eclipse, which means it is neither a total nor a partial eclipse. Instead, it's a hybrid of the two.

The rare hybrid solar eclipse will occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a massive shadow across some parts of the planet and preventing sunlight from reaching the surface.

A hybrid solar eclipse, as opposed to the more common total and partial solar eclipses, is a rare occurrence that combines the qualities of both.

If we talk about a hybrid solar eclipse, those who don't know, it occurs when the moon is separated from the Earth, making it appear smaller in the sky than the sun. During a hybrid solar eclipse, the moon's size is just right to cover the entire solar disc, creating a perfect annular or ring-like shape around the moon's dark silhouette. This is what distinguishes it as an annular eclipse.

However, as the moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface, it narrows until it touches the surface, leading to an entire eclipse. This means that for observers located in a specific region of the Earth's surface, the sun is completely obscured and the sky is plunged into darkness for a brief period, usually only a few minutes.

On April 20, a hybrid solar eclipse will happen in the skies, beginning at 7:04 a.m. and lasting until 12:29 p.m., during which some areas will see a total solar eclipse and others will see a partial lunar eclipse. According to the time and date, nearly 8.7 per cent of the world's population will witness the eclipse.

A hybrid solar eclipse will pass over the North West Cape, a remote peninsula in Western Australia, according to the time and date. The eclipse is also known as the Ningaloo Eclipse, after an Aboriginal word, because the path of totality passes over a remote peninsula in Australia.

The hybrid solar eclipse will be the first of five solar eclipses visible from Australia over the next 15 years.

Some parts of East Timor and the Indonesian province of West Papua are also going to witness the eclipse.