First solar eclipse of 2024 to be witnessed today

The first solar eclipse of the year 2024, which is deemed the "Great North American Solar Eclipse", will be witnessed by the skygazers on April 8 (today).

The eclipse, likely to turn daylight into night, will be visible in North America, Mexico, and Canada but not in Asian countries. 

According to astronomers, the solar eclipse will take place on April 8 and 9, which is why it will not appear in Pakistan and other Asian countries.

However, astronomers said the total eclipse would be seen in 18 states of America, several European Union countries, the Atlantic, and other countries around the world.

Live Science said the eclipse will commence from Mexico, move towards the northeast direction, and end in the eastern provinces of Canada.

It added that 15 American states could see a complete solar eclipse, with these States witnessing the eclipse for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

However, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said it will begin in Pakistan at 8:42pm and reach its peak at 11:17am.

The last total eclipse in the world happened in December 2021, but only Antarctica had witnessed that eclipse.

Eclipses occur when the moon sun and earth align in a rare cosmic setting casting their shadow or blocking the sunlight. However, the phenomenon of hybrid solar eclipses is extremely unusual.

A total eclipse is when the Moon and the Sun line up in the sky in such a way that the Moon blocks the entire face of the Sun – called totality. Somewhere on the Earth, these occur approximately every 18 months.