Don't Miss the Rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse Happening Next Week

A rare "hybrid" solar eclipse will occur on April 20, visible in Australia, East Timor, and eastern Indonesian islands. The eclipse is a combination of both a total solar eclipse and an annular solar eclipse, presenting viewers with one eclipse, then the other as the moon's shadow glides over Earth's surface. Whether viewers will see the eclipse as a total or an annular eclipse depends on where they are positioned along Earth's curved surface relative to the moon. Indigenous Australians regarded rare solar eclipses as bad omens. The next hybrid solar eclipse will appear over North America on Nov. 14, 2031.