Here’s a summary of what is known (as of mid-September 2025) about the upcoming solar eclipse (“Surya Grahan”) around September 20-23, along with timings, visibility, and what you should know. If you like, I can also pull up maps for your city to see what partial visibility looks like.
🗓️ Date: Which Day Exactly?
- The solar eclipse is on September 21, 2025 globally.
- Some confusion arises due to time zones. In some places the local date may fall late on September 20 or early on September 22.
- It will not occur on September 23. That date doesn’t match the eclipse data.
⏱️ Timings
All the times below are based on UTC and converted where relevant to India Standard Time (IST = UTC +5:30):
| Phase | UTC Time | IST Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Partial eclipse begins | ~ 17:29 UTC | ~ 22:59 / ~11:00 PM on September 21 IST |
| Maximum eclipse | ~ 19:41 UTC | ~ 01:11 AM on September 22 IST |
| Partial eclipse ends | ~ 21:53 UTC | ~ 03:23 AM on September 22 IST |
- Duration: Over 4 hours total from start to end (for areas that can see it) in those times.
🌍 Visibility: Where It Will Be Seen
- The eclipse is a partial solar eclipse. That means the Moon covers only a portion of the Sun (not a full cover-up for any observers).
- Best visibility will be in the Southern Hemisphere: especially Australia, New Zealand, parts of Antarctica, and surrounding Pacific islands.
- It will not be visible from India (or most of Asia) since the eclipse occurs during night hours in India.
🔍 Why the Date Confusion?
- Time zones make a big difference. When it’s evening in one place, it might be already past midnight in another. That causes confusion about whether it’s 20th, 21st or 22nd locally.
- Many Indian media outlets ask whether it might be observed on the night of 20-21 because the eclipse begins late night IST. But scientifically, the global date is Sept 21.
⚠️ What People in India Should Know
- Since it won’t be visible locally, there’s no public observing of the eclipse in India.
- Because it’s not visible, traditional religious/ritual observances tied to seeing an eclipse (e.g. “sutak” in many Hindu traditions) will likely not be observed.
✅ What to Do If You Want to Observe
If you’re in a region where the eclipse is visible, or you want to follow it online:
- Use proper eye protection (solar eclipse glasses or viewers). Regular sunglasses are not enough.
- Safe online streams (NASA, observatory feeds) are a good option if your location doesn’t allow viewing.
- Check local astronomy society announcements for viewing times in your area (converted from UTC).
