If there is one thing that almost everyone in the world finds impressive when it comes along, it is a solar eclipse. Even if it means standing out on the door step for a while or missing a bit of school or work in the middle of the day, millions will see it.
A solar eclipse is impressive enough but on April 20, 2023, there is going to be a hybrid solar eclipse.
Generally speaking, there are three types of solar eclipse. The first is a partial eclipse where where the moon just blocks out part of the sun and creates a shadow over Earth. The second is an annular eclipse where the moon blocks the centre of the sun and leaves a circle of light around the edge, known as a ‘ring of fire’.
The third is a total solar eclipse where the entirety of the sun’s disc is blocked by the moon. That is the one people get most excited to see.
What is a hybrid solar eclipse?
There is another type of solar eclipse, though, and it will be visible on April 20. This type only occurs a few times per century. A peculiarity is that you cannot experience the full-effect of a hybrid solar eclipse
It combines an annular and a total solar eclipse, so observers at different points in the eclipse path will see different types of eclipse. A hybrid solar eclipse being watched at sunrise or sunset may produce a ‘ring of fire’, but someone watching it at midday will see a total eclipse.
Hybrid solar eclipses occur when the moon’s distance is near its limit for the umbral shadow to reach Earth and because Earth is curved.
