Stargazers are in for a treat this weekend as the second and final solar eclipse of 2025 is set to premiere in the skies on Sunday, following a lunar eclipse earlier this month.
Also called a Surya Grahan, a partial solar eclipse involves the Moon passing between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring a part of it from view. However, in a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks the Sun from view. This puts the Moon's surface entirely in shadow, with sunlight outlining it.
This time, the solar eclipse will be clearly visible from parts of Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, but not India. This is because solar eclipses take place during daytime.
Said to begin approximately after 1:30 PM EDT (11 PM IST) on Sunday, the partial solar eclipse will end by 6 PM EDT (3:30 AM IST on Monday), with maximum coverage expected at about 3:40 PM EDT (1:11 AM IST on Monday).
Indians can livestream the eclipse on TimeandDate's YouTube channel.
It is important to note that the 'Sutak Kaal'—a period of time around the eclipse considered to be inauspicious—will not apply to India, as the eclipse cannot be seen in the country. However, it is said to apply to Indians living in countries that will get a glimpse of the eclipse.
During this period, many households in India refrain from cooking, eating, or performing auspicious rituals, due to the belief that the Earth's atmosphere becomes impure during an eclipse.
Notably, Sunday's solar eclipse is the last solar eclipse of 2025 after a partial solar eclipse took place on March 29. Even that eclipse was visible only over parts of northern Asia, North America, Europe, Africa, as well as the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
