Ministry issues guidelines and safety tips to watch ‘ring of fire eclipse’

Dr Muattar Hanif 11:31 PM, 20 Jun, 2020

Karachi: According to recent guidelines issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, It is never safe to look directly at the Sun during Solar Eclipse. One can seriously hurt eyes and even go blind.

The official document was signed by Dr. Muhammad Tariq Masood, Chairman, Scientific Committee on Lunar Calendar & Moonsighting/ Joint Scientific Advisor.

As per the official release, in the year 2020, there will be six eclipses, four Lunar (of the Moon), and two Solar (of the Sun). First solar eclipses will be on 21st June 2020, which will be visible all most in the whole country. The second Solar Eclipses will be on 14th December 2020 but will not be visible in Pakistan.

“On 21st June 2020, a complete Annular (ring) form of solar eclipses be visible in Sakhar (Sindh Province) and its nearby area, whereas it will be partial Eclipses in other parts of the country,” the official notification said.

It was written that people should be careful while watching a partial eclipse. This should be done through proper eye protection, like eclipse glasses or a Sun filter, which is the only safe option. It was mentioned that sunglasses ‘don’t work’.

According to NASA, the following materials should never be used to view a solar eclipse, for example, sunglasses of any kind, color film, medical X-ray film, smoked glass, and floppy disks.

Solar eclipses are an eclipse of the Sun that happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun’s rays and casting a shadow on Earth's parts.

The eclipse will be visible on the following timings:

S.No	Major Cities	Coverage (%)	Timings (PST)			Eclipse Type
S.No	Major Cities	Coverage (%)	Begins	Maximum	Ends	Eclipse Type
1	Islamabad	81.99	9:50	11:25	13:06	Partial
2	Lahore	91.19	9:48	11:26	13:10	Partial
3	Karachi	91.53	9:26	10:59	12:46	Partial
4	Peshawar	79.44	9:48	11:21	13:02	Partial
5	Quetta	87.93	9:35	11:06	12:49	Partial
6	Gilgit	74.88	9:56	11:30	13:08	Partial
7	Muzafarabad	79.96	9:52	11:26	13:07	Partial
8	Sukkar	98.78	9:33	11:07	12:54	Partial
9	Gwadar	97.8	9:20	10:48	12:32	Partial