Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016
A total solar eclipse took place at the Moon's descending node of the orbit on March 8–9, 2016. If viewed from east of the International Date Line, the eclipse took place on March 8 (Tuesday) and elsewhere on March 9 (Wednesday). A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the Sun appears to be black with a halo around it. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. The eclipse of March 8–9, 2016 had a magnitude of 1.0450 visible across an area of Pacific Ocean, which started in the Indian Ocean, and ended in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Totality with Baily's beads from Balikpapan, Indonesia
Partial in Jakarta, Indonesia, 0:23 UTC
Partial in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 0:23 UTC
Partial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 0:26 UTC
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season in its new moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of Earth's orbit. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth, a solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world. As such, although total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, they recur at any given place only once every 360 to 410 years.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun's disk, as seen in this solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensively the coronal and partly the radiating coronal streamers.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away to completely cover the Sun's disk (October 14, 2023).
During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon blocks only part of the Sun's disk (October 25, 2022).
Partial and annular phases of the solar eclipse of May 20, 2012