A hybrid solar eclipse is an extremely rare and exotic astronomical event — and one coming soon, on April 20, 2023.
Talk to most eclipse chasers and they will tell you that there are three types of eclipse chasers solar eclipse. The first is a partial eclipse of the most common and least impressive because the moon Just block part of the sun sending a shadow—the penumbra—across a patch of Earth, the second being an annular eclipse of the sun, in which the center of the sun is obscured by the moon, but leaves a circle of light from the sun visible from within a shadow called an antumbra. It is often called the “ring of fire”. The third is a total solar eclipse in which the moon completely blocks the sun’s disk, revealing the stunning view of the solar corona, which can be seen with the naked eye from within the moon’s dark shadow, the umbra.
However, there is a curious fourth type of solar eclipse – a hybrid solar eclipse – that only happens a few times per century. It is a mixture of the other three but also impossible to experience in all its glory. Fortunately, the The next solar eclipse to happen in a land It will be a hybrid solar eclipse. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming hybrid solar eclipse – the rarest, most interesting, and arguably the most spectacular and interesting type of solar eclipse globally.
Related: Solar eclipse 2023: when, where and how to see it
Jimmy Carter
What is a hybrid solar eclipse?
A hybrid solar eclipse combines an annular and a total eclipse of the sun, with the former usually becoming the latter and then returning. Therefore, observers at different points in the path of the eclipse can experience different phenomena. For example, if you watch a hybrid solar eclipse at sunrise or sunset, you might see a brief “ring of fire.” If you watch it in the middle of the day — in the middle of the eclipse’s path across Earth’s surface — you’ll experience totality. So it’s impossible to experience an annular and total solar eclipse during a hybrid event—you have to choose.
Remember, never look at the sun without adequate protection. our How to safely observe the sun The guide tells you everything you need to know about safe solar monitoring. The guide also tells you what solar targets you can search for and what equipment to do so.
If you want to set everything up for solar eclipse viewing, we’ve got guides to The best cameras for astrophotographyand the The best lenses for astrophotography. our How to photograph a solar eclipse The guide will also help you plan your next solar observing adventure.
Why do hybrid solar eclipses occur?
A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is near its limit until the umbra’s shadow reaches the Earth The earth is curved (Opens in a new tab). The moon is located at an appropriate distance from the earth, so that the apex of the cone-shaped shadow is slightly higher than the surface of the earth at the beginning and end of the eclipse path, which causes the anti-moon shadow to move across the earth causing an annular eclipse of the sun. . However, in the middle of the eclipse’s path, the crest of the moon’s umbra’s umbra hits Earth’s surface because that part of the planet is slightly closer to the moon.
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This diagram of a hybrid solar eclipse shows how the Moon’s distance from Earth determines the shadow projected on the Earth’s surface, from the faint penumbra of a partial solar eclipse to the deep, dark totality and antumbra — a kind of half shade – from the throat.
When is the next hybrid solar eclipse?
The next hybrid solar eclipse will occur on April 20, 2023 in the Southern Hemisphere. It will go from the annular to the total and back again at two specific points, but both are in locations far out at sea.
So for all intents and purposes, this will be experienced exclusively as a total solar eclipse from Western Australia’s Exmouth Peninsula (up to 1 minute), Timor-Leste (1 minute 14 seconds) and West Papua (1 minute 9 seconds). Before and just after college, there is a great offer for Bailey beads It will be visible.
If you’d like to see the path of the eclipse, along with the eclipse timing for each location, check out this interactive Eclipse map by Xavier Jubier (Opens in a new tab). It is one of the Two solar eclipses in 2023.
What are Bailey’s beads?
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Named after the English astronomer Francis Bailey, who observed them in the early 19th century, Bailey’s beads are the last rays of the sun that can be seen streaming through the valleys of the Moon before totality. They can also be considered as college endings. During a hybrid solar eclipse, Bailey’s bead widths are longer because the Moon is almost the same apparent size as the Sun.
How often does a solar hybrid eclipse occur?
There are between two and five solar eclipses each year, though during the 21st century only 3.1% (Opens in a new tab) (7 out of 224) Solar eclipses are hybrid solar eclipses. Between 2000 BC and 3000 AD only 4.8% (Opens in a new tab) Solar eclipses are hybrid events.
The last hybrid solar eclipse occurred on November 3, 2013. It was visible as a total solar eclipse over central Africa, including northern Kenya, Uganda, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cruise ships in the mid-Atlantic have also experienced totals of up to one minute.
What is the other name for a hybrid solar eclipse?
Hybrid solar eclipse often called Annular total eclipses, “beading” solar eclipses, or “fractured” annular eclipses, the latter two because they are particularly marked by long Bely Beads displays.
Because the Moon appears to pass directly in front of the Sun, hybrid solar eclipses are classified as “central” solar eclipses—as are total and annular solar eclipses—to distinguish them from partial solar eclipses.
Editor’s note: If you captured an amazing solar eclipse photo and would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo(s), comments, name, and location to [email protected]
Jimmy Carter Editor whenIsTheNextEclipse.com (Opens in a new tab)
Join our space forums (Opens in a new tab) To keep talking about space in the latest missions, the night sky, and more! And if you have a tip, correction, or comment, let us know at: [email protected].
Additional sources
Explore the different types of solar eclipses in more detail with this helpful information NASA article (Opens in a new tab). Texas State University (Opens in a new tab) It contains a helpful list of many videos explaining the different types of eclipses.
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Picos, K.; (2022, November 13). What is a hybrid solar eclipse? Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/hybrid-solar-eclipse.html (Opens in a new tab)
Espinac, F.; (2007, February 13). Catalog of five thousand hybrid solar eclipses. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEhybrid5.html (Opens in a new tab)
Jubier, X. (2022, November 13). Five Millennium (-1999 to +3000) Canon Solar Eclipse Database. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from http://xjubier.free.fr/ar/site_pages/solar_eclipses/5MCSE/xSE_Five_Millennium_Canon.html (Opens in a new tab)
Nemiroff, R. and Bonnell, J. (November 3, 2013). Astronomy photo of the day. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131103.html (Opens in a new tab)
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