October 2023: Witness a Solar and Lunar Eclipse
October 2023 will be a month of celestial events, with both a solar and lunar eclipse on the horizon. A solar eclipse, also known as Surya Grahan, is when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth.
Solar eclipses are particularly rare and spectacular events, and the one in October 2023 is expected to be a ring of fire eclipse. This means that the Moon will completely block the centre of the Sun, but leave a ring of sunlight visible around the edge.
The Moon will turn a deep red colour during a lunar eclipse, due to the sunlight that is refracted and scattered by the Earth's atmosphere.
Solar eclipses should only be viewed with special safety glasses, while lunar eclipses can be viewed safely with the naked eye.
Four types of solar eclipses:
Partial solar eclipse: The Moon only partially blocks the Sun, leaving a crescent-shaped portion visible.
Annular solar eclipse: The Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but is too small to completely block it, leaving a ring of sunlight visible around the edge.
Total solar eclipse: The Moon completely blocks the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth. Total solar eclipses are relatively rare and can only be seen from a narrow path on Earth's surface.
Hybrid solar eclipse: A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of eclipse that begins as an annular eclipse, but then transitions to a total eclipse.
Solar Eclipse October 2023: Visibility and Sutak
The solar eclipse in October 2023 will be visible in a narrow path across North America, Central America, and South America.
The Sutak period for the October 2023 solar eclipse will begin 12 hours before the eclipse and end 9 hours after the eclipse. This means that the Sutak period will last for approximately 21 hours.