Parts of Mindanao to see eclipse

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced that this city and some parts of the country will experience solar eclipse a day after Christmas.

Jayson Albay of the local of PAGASA office said Saturday the solar eclipse that will occur on Dec. 26 will be the third and final natural phenomenon in the world’s eastern hemisphere this year.

Albay said residents in the provinces of Davao Occidental and Sarangani will experience a total solar eclipse while the rest of the country, including the city, a partial solar eclipse.

The final solar eclipse will also be experienced in other countries like Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The country had only experienced this year the annular eclipse, which is sometimes called “ring of fire” eclipse, he added.

Albay said the annular eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are exactly in line with the earth, but the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun. Hence the sun appears as a very bright

ring, or annulus, surrounding the dark disk of the moon.

The solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the moon that fully or partially blocks sunlight. This occurs when the sun, moon, and earth are aligned.

Albay said the first partial solar eclipse this year happened on Jan. 6, 2019 and the second, a total solar eclipse, on July 2, 2019. (PNA)