A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Singapore on Wednesday. The solar event is expected to darken a large swathe of Indonesia, including Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, while its intensity will be in varying degrees in other places in Southeast Asia.
The total eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, south-east Asia and Hawaii.
The entire eclipse will last about three hours, during which people in various countries in the east will witness varying degrees of the eclipse.
Palembang in Sumatra will witness the total eclipse, with the spectacle lasting about three minutes. It will happen at about 7.20am local time.
The eclipse will last the longest in part of the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, with the spectacle lasting for 4 minutes and 9 seconds.
In Indonesia, people can witness about a 90 percent eclipse while in parts of Australia it will be 60 percent.
People in southern Vietnam and Thailand will also be able to witness a 60 percent eclipse. In Japan, where the eclipse starts at about 10.20am in the west, it will be a 20 percent eclipse.
For details on how to watch the eclipse in your country, click here.
Singapore
Singaporeans can witness the rare astronomical event on Wednesday morning. The partial solar eclipse will be visible in the country with almost 90 per cent of the sun blocked out by the moon.
The Science Centre Singapore said the solar event, which will take place on March 9, will begin at 7.22am, which is 10 minutes after sunrise.
The maximum eclipse will be visible around 8.23am and the solar event will last until 9.33am.
"For someone who is not actively watching out for the eclipse, it would seem as if the morning twilight is longer than usual," Abel Yang, a Lecturer at the National University of Singapore, told TODAY.
The Science Centre has warned residents not to look at the sun directly during the eclipse as it could cause irreparable eye damage including blindness.
Even while using a telescope or binoculars to view the eclipse, people should use solar filters experts have warned.
"These filters block out not only most of the visible light, but also ultraviolet and infrared light that can be harmful to your eyes," Yang said.
