According to Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, the Head of the Department of Physics and the Director of Astronomy and Space Science Unit at Colombo University, there will be two eclipses taking place this month. The first is an annular solar eclipse on October 14, followed by a partial lunar eclipse on October 28.
The annular solar eclipse will be visible from the USA, parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil, but unfortunately not from Sri Lanka. The eclipse will begin at 8:34 p.m. on October 14 in the USA and conclude at 2:25 a.m. on October 15 near Brazil, according to Sri Lanka Standard Time.
Prof. Jayaratne explained that typically there are two consecutive eclipses with a two-week gap. Hence, 14 days later, on October 28, there will be a partial lunar eclipse. It will begin at 11:32 p.m. and end at 3:56 a.m. on October 29. This lunar eclipse will be visible to Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, much of South America, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic, and Antarctica.
Interestingly, the partial phase of this lunar eclipse will be visible to Sri Lanka on October 29 in the early morning, specifically from 1:05 a.m. to 2:23 a.m., with the maximum eclipse occurring at 1:44 a.m., Prof. Jayaratne added.
