Partial Solar Eclipse 2019 Date, Timings: January will be a good month for  skygazers and astronomy enthusiasts with a partial solar eclipse and a total lunar eclipse taking place. On January 6, 2019, which is Sunday, first partial solar eclipse of the year will take place. The solar eclipse will be visible in parts of North-East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
The total lunar eclipse takes place on January 21, and will be visible in  Central Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Africa. In total, the year 2019 will see five lunar and solar eclipses. These will include two total solar eclipses, one total lunar eclipse and one partial lunar eclipse and one partial solar eclipse.
There will also be a transit of Mercury in November, when the planet appears to cross the Sun. The transit of Mercury takes place once every 13 years.

Partial solar eclipse on January 6: Where will it be visible?

The year will start with a partial solar eclipse on January 6, though it will not be visible in India. It will be visible from locations in north Pacific and northeast Asia, including China, part of Siberia in Russia, Korean peninsula, and Japan.
The partial solar eclipse’s duration has not been highlighted by NASA in its calendar, which tracks nearly all solar and lunar eclipses for the coming decades.

Partial solar eclipse on January 6: Timings

The Partial solar eclipse will take place around 23:34:08 in UTC, which stands for Coordinated Universal Time, and last till 03:48:46 UTC. In India, the relevant timings will be around 5 in the morning to 9 in the morning. However, this partial solar eclipse is not visible in India.

In Japan, the timings for partial solar eclipse translate to around 8.30 in the morning with the peak being at 10.41 AM for the event.

When will India see a total solar eclipse?

The first total solar eclipse will occur on July 2-3, but this will be limited to South Pacific and South America. This total solar eclipse will not be visible in India. However, India will see an annual solar eclipse in 2019 on December 26, 2019. The eclipse has a total timing of 03 minutes and 39 seconds and it will be visible in Saudi Arabia, India, Sumatra and Borneo.

What is a solar eclipse and what’s a partial solar eclipse?

An eclipse is a celestial phenomenon which takes place when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line. In a solar eclipse, it is in the Moon which blocks the Sun’s path and appears to stop the sunlight from reaching the Earth.

 During a total solar eclipse, it turns dark during the day as the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon. When the Moon covers a certain portion of the Sun, and does not completely block the path, it is known as a partial solar eclipse. It is not safe to look at a solar eclipse without special protective eyewear, and this applies to partial solar eclipses as well.