Gambia had share of ‘rare hybrid solar eclipse’

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The Gambia experienced a solar eclipse on Sunday which geographers say is a “rare hybrid eclipse”. It lasted for about half an hour (from around 11:45am) in which a ring of sunlight was still visible, giving a partial eclipse.

A hybrid solar eclipse is an unusual eclipse that morphs between a total eclipse – in which the moon completely blots out the sun – and an annular eclipse, in which a ring of sunlight is still visible around the moon, astronomers say.

This year's event is a rare hybrid eclipse, where for part of the event, the sun's light is not completely covered. Such events, called annular eclipses, are dangerous to watch directly, says the National Geographic Centre.