How To Watch The Hybrid Solar Eclipse

A​ rare type of eclipse will cross the skies this month, but most people around the world will have to watch a livestream if they want to see it.

I​t's called a hybrid solar eclipse, and it's created by the way Earth is curved, according to NASA.

Here's how it works:

-A​ total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow that completely blocks the sun. This in itself only happens occasionally.

-A​n annular solar eclipse happens in much the same way except that it occurs when the moon is at or near its farthest point away from Earth, making the moon appear smaller. This leaves a vivid circle of sun around the moon at the point of what would be totality.

-A hybrid is a combination of the two, depending on where you are. It happens because the moon's shadow changes as it moves across the curved surface of Earth. At some points, it's a total eclipse and at others an annular.

P​eople in parts of Indonesia, East Timor and a small piece of Australia called North West Cape will see a total solar eclipse on April 20. Others in that same region along the path will see an annular solar eclipse.

N​one of it will be visible from North America, but TimeAndDate.com will have a livestream of the total eclipse at 9:30 p.m. EDT on April 19.

But people in North America won't have to wait that long to see a total solar eclipse. That happens next year on April 8, 2024.

If you are lucky enough to watch a solar eclipse in person, always remember to protect your eyes with appropriate safety glasses.

W​ant to check out more of our space coverage? Follow these links:

-R​EAD: Relativity Space Launches 3D Rocket From Florida

-​READ: SpaceX Launches New NASA Air Quality Monitoring Satellite

-​WATCH: Webb Space Telescope Reveals Uranus’ Rings In Great Detail

J​an Childs covers space, climate change, news and feature stories for weather.com.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.