Blog: Day goes dark as solar eclipse blocks over 80% of the sun in UAE

Top Stories

KT Explains, catch, tomorrow, solar eclipse, UAE

Dubai - The three-hour spectacle began at 8.14am and peaked at 9.36am.

By Team KT

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Sun 21 Jun 2020, 10:40 PM

Last updated: Sun 21 Jun 2020, 10:57 PM

The day was much darker than usual in the UAE as the much awaited partial solar eclipse blocked over 80 per cent of the sun.

The three-hour spectacle began at 8.14am and peaked at 9.36am. It was visible in the UAE till 11.12am.

Annular eclipses occur when the Moon - passing between Earth and the Sun - is not quite close enough to our planet to completely obscure sunlight, leaving a thin ring of the solar disc visible. In the UAE, it was visible as a partial eclipse.  




Khaleej Times multimedia journalists were stationed outside a mall in Abu Dhabi; Dubai Astronomy Centre; and a desert in Sharjah to bring you live updates from the rare spectacle.

11.50am
A combination of photographs shows a partial solar eclipse in Abu Dhabi. Photo by Ryan Lim/KT



11.10am
People use protective glasses to observe the annular solar eclipse in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Video by Ryan Lim/KT

10.55am
Residents use protective glasses to observe the annular solar eclipse on Sunday.


10.30am
Solar Eclipse 2020 at 10:30am


10am
Video: Annual Solar eclipse prayers held at Makkah's Grand Mosque
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
. . ????? | ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? . "????????? ????????" #???????_??????? #???????? #????????
A post shared by ??????? ???????? (@sharjahnews) on

9:45am
Partial solar eclipse as seen in the skies of Mleiha Desert in #Sharjah at 9.40am today. Photo by M. Sajjad/KT



 

9:40am
Shadow with soft edges, occurs during the solar eclipse. Photo by Neeraj Murali/KT

9:30am
A man uses binoculars to watch the annular solar eclipse in Abu Dhabi today. Photo by Ryan Lim/KT



9:28am
A child holds protective glasses to observe annular solar eclipse at the Dubai Astronomy Center. Photo by Neeraj Murali/KT


9:23am
The eclipse is observed by using a telescope from the observatory dome of the Dubai Astronomy Center. Photo by Neeraj Murali/KT


 
9:20am
Partial solar eclipse as seen from Al Nahda in Sharjah at 9.20am today. Photo by Abhishek Sengupta/KT



9:15am
Partial solar eclipse as seen from Mleiha Desert in Sharjah today morning. Photo by M. Sajjad/KT



When should you look up?
>Start time: 08:14:47
>End time: 11:12:04
>Peak: 9.36am
Can I catch the eclipse online?
Yes.
>Follow all the latest updates on khaleejtimes.com and on our social media platforms.
>The Dubai Astronomy Group will telecast the eclipse live on 
>The Abu Dhabi-based International Astronomical Center will be broadcasting the event live 
What not to do
>DO NOT look at the sun directly without using sunglasses with special filters
>DO NOT fit any filter to a telescope without first checking for damage
>If you are not certain that a filter is approved and safe, DO NOT use it
If you have got solar eclipse glasses:
>Position yourself towards the east; put the glasses on; and turn towards the sun to observe the even
reporters@khaleejtimes.com 


More news from