A partial solar eclipse and a total lunar eclipse will take place, at the end of this month and the middle of the next, respectively.
Kolkatans will miss both the eclipses.
Debiprosad Duari, former director of research and academic at MP Birla Planetarium, decodes the upcoming celestial events for The Telegraph.
Q: When will the partial solar eclipse take place? Who will be able to see it?
A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the disc of the moon comes between the earth and the sun, partially or totally blocking the sun as seen from the earth for some time.
On April 30, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from the southern and south-western part of South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Bolivia), the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and most of Antarctica.
The solar eclipse as always starts at one location and because of the spinning earth, ends at another location.
The partial eclipse will begin on that day around 6.45 (GMT).
For India, it will be 12.15am on May 1. The maximum eclipse will take place around 2.11am (Indian time). The eclipse will end at 4.07am (Indian time).
Q: What about the lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon night when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth.
A total lunar eclipse will take place on May 16.
This eclipse, either in its totality or at the partial phases, can be seen from southern and western parts of Europe and Asia and Africa and large parts of North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions and parts of Antarctica.
The eclipse will start at 7.02am (IST). The total eclipse will start around 7.57am. The maximum eclipse, when the moon will be at the deepest part of earth’s shadow, will begin around 9.41am and end around 10.23am. The partial phase of the eclipse will end by 11.25am.
Indian sky lovers, enthusiasts and amateur astronomers will be missing the show since it will be happening during the daytime in the country.
Q: Is there anything Kolkatans can look forward to in the near future?
Yes. The next partial solar eclipse on October 25 will be visible from Kolkata and its neighbouring areas.
However, it will be visible very briefly and just before the sunset. The degree of the eclipse visible from Kolkata will not be huge.
The next total lunar eclipse (after May 16) will be on November 6. Kolkatans will be able to catch a partial glimpse.
The total phase will occur when the moon will be below the horizon in Kolkata.