A rare solar eclipse happened in a remote tourist town in Australia, on April 19. According to reports, about 20,000 eclipse chasers witnessed this rare event.
The occurrence of such an eclipse is rare and it only happens a few times in a century. With the occurrence of this rare hybrid eclipse, the remote Exmouth town, which only has less than 3,000 residents, was promoted as one of the best vantage points in Australia.
The beginning point of the eclipse was in the Indian Ocean, at sunrise and it ended in the Pacific Ocean at sunset. The hybrid phases of the eclipse were viewed by the observers at different points in the path of the eclipse.
On the edge of the town, an international gathering had been tented for several days with cameras and other viewing apparatus for witnessing this rare hybrid eclipse. NASA Astronomer Henry Throop was also among them.
A witness said that the hybrid eclipse was incredible, fantastic and mind-blowing.
"It was so sharp and it was so bright," said the witness.
Throop said:"It's only a minute long, but it really felt like a long time. There's nothing else you can see which looks like that. It was just awesome. Spectacular. And then you could see Jupiter and Mercury and to be able to see those at the same time during the day – even seeing Mercury at all is pretty rare. So that was just awesome"
Julie Copson said that "I feel so emotional like I could cry. The colour changed and seeing the corona and sun flares."
This rare hybrid eclipse was also visible in Indonesia as well. There were hundreds of visitors in Jakarta Planetarium for watching the partial eclipse.
A young lady who goes by the name Azka Azzahra, said: "I am still happy to come even though it is cloudy. It is happy to see how people with high enthusiasm come here to see the eclipse because it is rare."
A similar celestial event had previously occurred in 2013 and the next one is presumed to happen in 2031.
Nasa solar expert Michael Kirk said that these events happen when Earth is in the "sweet spot." The sun and the moon will be the exact same size in the sky.
In a total eclipse, the moon is a little closer and blocks the sun. However, in an annular eclipse, the moon is a little farther away and the sunlight will escape.
"It's a crazy phenomenon. You're actually watching the moon get larger in the sky," Kirk said.
It is predicted by mid of October an annular eclipse and by April 2024, a total eclipse will be witnessed by millions of people in Americas.
