After the total lunar eclipse and the Lyrid meteor shower that we have witnessed in recent days, comes the third and last celestial event of the month.
On April 29 there will be an annular eclipse of the Sun that will paint a colossal ring of light around the silhouette of the visible face of the Moon, and that, according to NASA, "it is very possible that only penguins can see", as its maximum will occur at 6:04:33 UTC in Toerra de Wilkes, an uninhabited area of Antarctica . In addition to the few inhabitants of the South Pole, those who sail the Indian Ocean or observe it from the southern tip of Indonesia and Australia will also be able to contemplate the partial eclipse (a crescent moon of fire).
It is an annular solar eclipse, which occurs when the Moon is near the apogee, that is, the point of greatest distance in its elliptical orbit with respect to the Earth, so, from our perspective, it cannot cover the entirety of the solar disk and lets through part of its light. This particular event is especially unusual, since it has been classified as a non-central annular eclipse, which means that from nowhere it will be possible to see the two disks, the lunar and the solar, concentric . Only 1.7 percent of annular eclipse have this peculiar characteristic.
For those who have the privilege of observing it, experts urge not to look directly at the Sun, as is usual in eclipses, but through a special glass or filter. The rest of the planet will have to settle for following the Slooh telescope's live broadcast.
