While one should never look directly at the sun, an annular solar eclipse is quite an event to see -- safely, of course. But the one happening Monday night or early Tuesday morning, depending on where you are, will not be seen in its entirety by any human being.
Differing from a total solar eclipse, the moon in an annular eclipse appears too small to cover the sun completely, leaving a ring of fire effect around the moon. This eclipse took place on May 20, 2012. (JAXA/NASA/Hinode via Getty Images)
Why? Because the eclipse nicknamed "Penguin" will only be completely visible from an uninhabited part of Antarctica.
"This is a thoroughly bizarre eclipse," Slooh astronomer Bob Berman said, according to Space.com. "When Slooh brings its live feeds from Australia, and we watch in real time as the inky black hemisphere of the moon partially obscures the sun, the greatest thrill might be an awareness of what's occurring -- unseen by any human -- in a tiny region of Antarctica."
A partial version of the eclipse will be visible by inhabitants in Australia.
For those not in Australia, the next best thing is watching the robotic telescope service's live feed from the comfort of your living room.
Tune in starting at 10 p.m. EST:
Slooh's live feed is hosted by Geoff Fox and Paul Cox with guest expert Dr. Lucie Green.
If you're watching and have questions about the event, tweet them using #Slooh.
To safely look at a partial solar eclipse that took place Nov. 3, 2013, in Nigeria, this man wore welding glasses. (AP/Sunday Alamba)
The next partial solar eclipse will take place on Oct. 23. Earlier this month was the first lunar eclipse -- a blood moon -- of the year; the second will occur on Oct. 8.
