TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A rare type of solar eclipse will be visible in Taipei skies on Thursday afternoon (April 20) for about 75 minutes, and will mark the last occurrence of any solar eclipse in Taiwan until June 2030.
Described as a “rare and strange” cosmic event, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said on Wednesday the hybrid eclipse will begin on Thursday afternoon at 12.34 p.m., and will last until 1.47 p.m. Hybrid eclipses only make up 3.1% of all eclipses, or seven out of the 224 eclipses to occur in the 21st century.
The Taipei Astronomical Museum will begin at 12.20 p.m. on April 20.
A hybrid solar eclipse appears depending on where an observer views it, per CNA. In Taiwan the sun will only be partially eclipsed, but if viewed from East Timor, West Papua, and parts of Western Australia it will appear as a total solar eclipse, making it rarer than other types.
The Taipei Astronomical Museum recommended the public observe the eclipse indirectly using a pinhole projector, and stressed that viewers should not look directly at the sun. Even those wearing glasses designed specifically to view a solar eclipse should not look at the sun for more than one minute, the museum said.
The museum will open viewing facilities to the public between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, and stream the eclipse live on YouTube.