Global Geological And Climatic Events

What is Ningaloo ‘Hybrid’ Solar Eclipse?

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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Ningaloo ‘Hybrid’ Solar Eclipse

Mains level: Not Much

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A ‘hybrid’ solar eclipse called the Ningaloo Eclipse recently happened on April 20, 2023.

Ningaloo ‘Hybrid’ Solar Eclipse

  • It was a rare astronomical event that occurred on April 20, 2023.
  • The Moon passed directly between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on a narrow strip of land in Western Australia.
  • It was a “hybrid” eclipse, starting as an annular eclipse and transitioning into a total eclipse.
  • The path of the eclipse crossed over the Ningaloo Reef, a world heritage site in Western Australia.
  • It offered a unique opportunity to view the eclipse against the backdrop of the reef and the Indian Ocean.

How rare are such events?

  • During a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth’s surface.
  • However, solar eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
  • Therefore, the Moon’s shadow usually misses Earth, but occasionally the alignment is just right for a solar eclipse to occur.
  • In the case of the Ningaloo Hybrid Solar Eclipse, the alignment was such that the Moon was at the right distance from Earth to create both an annular and a total eclipse as it moved across the Sun.
  • This type of eclipse is quite rare, occurring only about once every 400 years.

Back2Basics:

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