For several months, the world experiences a new, strange situation, which affects us all in a similar way.

The dangerous and fast-spreading coronavirus has locked us all inside our homes, travel has been restricted, and many of us are terrified whenever they need to go outside.

Fortunately, things are not so dark, as the universe keeps entertaining us! This weekend, on June 21, those living in China, Africa, the Middle East, and India will get the privilege to see a rare ‘ring of fire’!

It will occur just one day after the summer solstice, which, for those north of the equator, is the longest day of the year, when Earth’s tilt toward the sun is at its maximum.

It will be the shortest and deepest annular solar eclipse of 2020. Even though it will be short in duration, for about a minute, this eclipse will be potent and marvelous to observe!

What makes it so special is that the sun will be 99 percent obscured, so it’s almost a total solar eclipse.  Therefore, people are advised to use solar eclipse glasses to protect the retina from harmful rays.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon, sun, and Earth are closely aligned. It is caused by the new moon which blocks the sun, and it can appear like it’s cut in half or reduced to a circular sliver of fire.

If you are lucky to live in the areas where it will be visible, you should keep track of time and location to follow the path to view the ‘Ring of Fire’.

 The director of the M P Birla Planetarium, Debi Prasad Duari, explained:

“The path of the annular solar eclipse will start near Charsana in Rajsthan around 10:12 AM and the phase of annularity will begin around 11:49 AM and end at 11:50 AM.

In other parts of the world like Kolkata, the partial eclipse will begin at different times as it moves from Kolkata, Congo, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the Indian Ocean, India, Tibet, China, Taiwan, and meet its end in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s fitting as the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by its own ‘ring of fire’ made up of magma-filled tectonic plates. As above, so below.”

The rest of us can watch a live stream of the phenomenon on the website of Timeanddate.com.

From a spiritual point of view, the new moon in Cancer will block the sun and cause a sliver of fire to embrace the shape of our circular lunar satellite.

The sun governs the external self and world, while Cancer, as a water sign, governs emotions, empathy, intuition, and sensitivity. Therefore, the phenomenon will remind us to honor our internal desires and responsibilities.

Take your time to slow down a bit, and feel the change the solar eclipse will bring.

Sources:
fox6now.com
www.travelandleisure.com
www.independent.co.uk