On March 9th, the only solar eclipse of 2016 took place, where the moon temporarily blotted out the sun and turn day into night.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon lines up with the sun, partially or completing blocking it from view on Earth.
Between 12:30 and 3:30 A.M. Greenwich Mean Time, the solar eclipse was visible across a large stretch of the area within the vicinity of the Pacific Ocean, including Japan, Australia, and Indonesia.
The solar eclipse was most “complete” across a stretch of space near the equator, including some parts of Indonesia. A map by NASA indicated what percentage of the Sun would be blocked out to the view in that area. (See below.)
Across Japan and some parts of Australia, viewers were able to see a partial eclipse, where the Moon blocked 20% of the Sun. In some Australian cities like Brisbane, people missed the eclipse entirely.
If you happen to have front-show seats to an eclipse, be sure to watch it safely. Just because the Sun is partially blocked by the Moon doesn’t make it safe to stare at. Get eclipse viewing glasses or make your own pinhole camera.
Eclipses can happen up to five times a year, although today’s is the only one this year. In the past 5,000 years, only 25 times have there been five eclipses in a year, according to NASA.
