​A once-a-century phenomenon, the hybrid solar eclipse can be seen from Australia and several countries in Southeast Asia. A hybrid eclipse is an eclipse between a total solar eclipse and an annular eclipse. At some points on Earth, it can be seen as full, and at others – as a ring.

In one area in Indonesia, the sun was blocked for 69 seconds, in Australia for 60 seconds, and in East Timor there was complete darkness for 74 seconds.

In the last century there were six hybrid solar eclipses, and in the 21st century there will be only seven. The last hybrid solar eclipse occurred in 2013.

In the town of Exmouth in Australia, the period of darkness lasted 58 seconds, and thousands of people came to see these moments. A partial eclipse could also be seen from Vietnam and the Philippines.

Types of eclipses

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thereby completely or partially covering the solar disk for an observer on Earth.

An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly aligned with Earth and the apparent diameter of the Moon is smaller than the diameter of the Sun. Only the edge is visible from the Sun, which in the form of a bright ring surrounds the dark Moon. Annular solar eclipses are rare astronomical events, also known as “rings of fire”.

A hybrid eclipse is an eclipse between a total solar eclipse and an annular eclipse. At some points on Earth, it can be seen as full, and at others – as a ring. And this is a rare type of eclipse.

A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly aligned, so the Moon only partially covers the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be observed from most of the Earth, especially outside the cumulus belt.

Annular eclipses tend to be slightly larger than total eclipses because, on average, the Moon is too far from Earth to completely mask the Sun. A hybrid eclipse occurs when the magnitude of the eclipse is very close to 1: the eclipse will be total in some places on Earth and annular in others.