Solar eclipse today: From duration to live stream timings, all you need to know

The only total solar eclipse this year will occur today, 4 December. The celestial event will best be visible from Antarctica and surrounding waters. While a partial eclipse will also be visible at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, people in India will not be able to see the solar eclipse. According to NASA, the partial solar eclipse will begin at 2 am EST (07:00 GMT) and will end at 3:06 am (08:06 GMT). The totality phase, where the Moon completely covers the Sun, will occur at 2:33 am EST (07:33 GMT). The partial phase of the eclipse will last for about an hour. In India, the Solar Eclipse starts at 10:59 am. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will live stream the event from the Union Glacier, Antarctica on NASA’s YouTube channel and on their official website - https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive. The live stream will begin at 1:30 am EST (12 pm IST) and end at 3.37 am EST (02.07 pm IST). The total eclipse will begin at 2.44 am EST (01.14 pm IST). A Solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching the Earth by coming in a position between the Earth and the Sun. Even though the Sun is approximately 400 times larger than the moon, it is also 400 times further away, making it possible for the Moon to cover the Sun. While a total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth align directly, a partial Solar Eclipse occurs when a partial shadow of the Moon comes over the Sun, covering it partially and leaving a part of the Sun visible. According to NASA, a total solar eclipse is visible only when the Moon covers more than 90 percent of the Sun. A maximum of 5 solar eclipses can occur in a year and this includes all, partial, annular and total eclipses. This total solar eclipse that will occur today, Saturday, comes two weeks after the partial lunar eclipse of 19 November. As an eye safety measure during the eclipse, it is advised to avoid looking directly at the Sun.