Total solar eclipse: When and where to watch
On July 2, Earthlings will witness the total solar eclipse of 2019, a rare astronomical event marked by the passing of the Moon between the Sun and Earth. The eclipse will be the longest to occur until 2027, but the Moon's shadow, aka umbra, will be experienced by only those living in South America. (Sorry, Indians!) Here's how you can watch the celestial line-up.
Totality will last for a little over four minutes
If the weather permits, people situated on the totality's 9,600-kilometer path will witness a fully obscured Sun for about four minutes and thirty-three seconds. This will be twice as long as the 2017's total solar eclipse, but do note that the whole event would last for about 161 minutes, which would make the upcoming event the longest solar eclipse to happen until 2027.
Eclipse will be experienced in South America
The July 2 eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse to occur after the 'Great American Eclipse' of 2017. Its totality (the area of total darkening) will stretch across the western Pacific Ocean to South America, remaining largely over the ocean. This means only a select portion of South America, Chile and Argentina to be exact, will experience the totality of the eclipse.
Which region will first witness Moon's shadow
La Serena, a coastal city of Santiago, Chile, will first witness the Moon's shadow. It will then move east-southeast through Argentina before reaching Río de la Plata and Uruguay and disappearing into the sunset.
Great opportunity for scientific observations
The shadow of the total solar eclipse will fall on three main South American observatories, including ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile and 8-meter Gemini South. This will give astronomers a chance to view several celestial features that aren't visible during the day, including stars in the background, plasma loops on the Sun, and the solar corona.
How to watch the totality
People living in Chile and Argentina can watch the eclipse with a decent pair of eclipse glasses. Meanwhile, those in other parts of the world can watch the live stream of the event from National Science Foundation's Cerro Tololo Observatory or ESO's La Silla Observatory. The NSF broadcast will begin at 1:30 am IST on July 3, while ESO's will start at 12:45 am.
