A rare hybrid solar eclipse wowed stargazers in Australia and parts of Southeast Asia, darkening the skies on November 14. Thousands of people flocked to remote Australian towns, such as Port Douglas and Cairns, to witness the rare celestial event. The eclipse was visible in a narrow region of the southern hemisphere that included parts of the eastern coast of Australia, the Pacific, and southern South America.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking its light either partially or entirely. A hybrid eclipse is a rare type of eclipse that features both an annular and a total eclipse. This means that during the eclipse, the moon was not quite large enough to fully cover the sun, creating an annular eclipse, where the outer edges of the sun were still visible, but it also produced a total eclipse, where the sun was completely blocked by the moon.
The eclipse began in the Northern Hemisphere as an annular eclipse, visible from parts of eastern Siberia, the Arctic Ocean, and western Greenland. The path of the total eclipse then crossed over the Equator and into the Southern Hemisphere, passing over parts of the Pacific and ending in southern South America.
In Australia, overcast conditions in some areas made it difficult to see the eclipse, but some fortunate stargazers managed to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon. At Port Douglas, a popular tourist destination located on the Great Barrier Reef, thousands of people gathered to watch the eclipse from the beach.
The eclipse also drew attention from around the world, with many people tuning in to live streams and following the event on social media. It was a reminder of the power and beauty of nature and the wonder it can inspire in people of all ages.
