Solar Eclipse on August 12: Will the Surya Grahan Be Visible in India? Check Timings, Visibility & Sutak Rules

A total solar eclipse will be seen across some parts of the globe on Wednesday, August 12.

However, skywatchers in India will not get to see any part of it since the solar eclipse will occur entirely during nighttime across the Indian subcontinent, which is why it cannot be observed from anywhere in the country, regardless of weather or location.

This means that people across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Lucknow and every other Indian city will be able to see the solar eclipse.

Astronomically, the event unfolds when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, briefly covering part or all of the sun's visible disc, but for this particular eclipse, the timing simply does not align with daylight hours in India.

Where the eclipse will actually be visible

The path of totality, where the moon fully blocks the sun, is a narrow band beginning in the Arctic and Siberia, going all the way down through Greenland and crossing western Iceland before reaching northern Spain and the northeastern tip of Portugal.

Totality will be around two minutes in most places along this path, making this the first total solar eclipse to touch mainland Europe since 1999, and mainland Spain's first since 1905.

Additionally the partial eclipse will be visible across large parts of Europe, portions of North America, and northwestern Africa, but none of this will be visible in South Asia.

Does Sutak Kaal apply in India?

As per the Panchang rule, Sutak, the inauspicious period observed before a Surya Grahan, applies only when the eclipse is actually visible from the observer's location. Since the August 12 eclipse cannot be seen anywhere in India, Sutak Kaal does not apply this time.

This total solar eclipse is a separate event from the annular "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse that occurred earlier this year, on February 17th.