Solar eclipse visible from 11.11 am today

Today's solar eclipse is visible to Sri Lanka from about 11.11 a.m. to 3.12 p.m. with maximum eclipse around 1.25 p.m.

There will be slight variation of visibility times depending on the location, according to the Department of Physics, Colombo University.

For Colombo the partial eclipse begins at 11.12 a.m. maximum reaches at 1.19 p.m. and eclipse ends at 3.06 p.m.

These times are more or less the same for the southern part of the country.

People in Jaffna will see the commencement of partial eclipse from 11.18 a.m. start of annular eclipse at 1.20 p.m.

Maximum at 1.25 p.m., end of annular phase at 1.30 p.m. and the end of eclipse at 3.11 p.m.

Maximum duration of the annularity at central line here is 10m 09s, and at maximum about 84% of the solar disk will be covered by the Moon.

People in Anuradhapura will experience the commencement of partial eclipse from 11.16 a.m. start of annular eclipse at 1.21 p.m., maximum at 1.23 p.m., end of annular phase at 1.25 p.m. and the end of eclipse at 3.10 p.m.

For Batticaloa the partial eclipse begins at 11.20 a.m. maximum reaches at 1.25 p.m. and eclipse ends up at 3.10 p.m. The next annular solar eclipse will be seen to Sri Lanka on 26th December 2019 and it too will have its best show for the northern part of the country.

Meanwhile it has also warned that the human eye can suffer permanent damage if it is exposed to direct sunlight for a few seconds. It is recommended that one wears protective eyewear to safely observe an eclipse.

Permanent eye damage can result from looking at the disk of the Sun directly, or through a camera viewfinder, or with binoculars or a telescope even when only a thin crescent of the Sun or Baily's Beads remain. "One percent of the Sun's surface still visible is about 10,000 times brighter than the full moon. Starting at the Sun under such circumstances is like using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto tinder. The retina is delicate and irreplaceable. There is little or nothing an eye surgeon will be able to do to help you. Therefore never look at the Sun unless you have adequate eye protection".