Solar eclipse, penumbral lunar eclipse visible in PH this March

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Filipinos will have a unique show in the Philippine skies as a partial solar eclipse and a penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible in the country this March.

A total solar eclipse will happen on March 9 (Wednesday), but will only be observed in the country as a partial solar eclipse, said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

The eclipse will happen at around 7:50 a.m. on March 9 (PHT), but the best time to view it is around 8:55 a.m., where it will reach maximum eclipse.

Mindanaoans will have the best view of the partial solar eclipse, with an eclipse obscuration of up to 80 percent. The Visayas and Luzon, meanwhile, will respectively have 60 to 70 percent and 30 to 60 percent of eclipse obscuration.

An eclipse obscuration is the fraction of the sun’s surface area covered by the moon.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, which obscures the image of the sun as viewed from the Earth.

Penumbral lunar eclipse

A penumbral eclipse of the moon will happen on March 23 and will be visible in the Philippines from 5:37 p.m. until 9:57 p.m.

A penumbral eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the faint penumbral portion of the earth’s shadow. The lunar surface is not completely shadowed by the earth’s umbra or the darkest part of a shadow.

Tips for watching eclipses

The smartest tip when watching eclipses is not to look at it directly, as it can cause serious damage and even blindness.

You can use special filters or lenses, such as the goggles used by welders. You can also use a homemade pinhole projector.