During this eclipse, the moon’s central shadow will miss out on Earth, thus resulting in no totality. While much of Europe will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse, it will not be visible in India.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on our planet. The phenomenon occurs only during the phase of the new moon, making it an interesting sky-watching event. This year, the Earth will witness two solar eclipses — Surya Grahan — both of them will be partial.
As per NASA, the partial solar eclipse on March 29, will be visible over parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It will begin at 4:50 AM EDT and England at 8:43 AM EDT.
Surya Grahan in India
For those living in India, this partial Surya Grahan 2025 coincides with Chaitra Amavasya, marking the beginning of the Hindu New Year and Chaitra Navratri. It will last from 2:21 PM to 6:14 PM and take place in the Pisces zodiac sign in Uttara Bhadrapada Nakshatra, as per an ABP report. As a result, the Sutra period will also be not applicable in India, which usually begins 12 hours before the eclipse.
In the meantime, Dr Rajendra Prakash Gupt, Superintendent of the Jiwaji Observatory in Ujjain, spoke to PTI and confirmed that India will be able to witness only one of the four celestial events scheduled for the current year.
Eclipse In 2025
The year’s first major astronomical event will be a total lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan, which will take place on March 14. However, it will occur during the daytime in India, thus making it invisible to observers. Further, the Indian skygazers will also miss out on the partial solar eclipse or Surya Grahan, slated for March 29.
Indian astronomical enthusiasts can look forward to September 7-8 when a full lunar eclipse or Purna Chandra Grahan will be visible in the country. Speaking on the same, Gupt explained that the eclipse will be visible in countries of Asia as well as Europe, Antarctica, the Western Pacific Ocean, Australia, and the Indian Ocean region. The event will commence from 8:58 PM to 2:25 AM, painting the moon in a deep red hue.
Lastly, another partial solar eclipse is scheduled for September 21-22, which will be again not visible in India.
