Thailand will witness a partial solar ecplise early this Wednesday morning (Mar 9). 

 

Visible country-wide, the eclipse phase will commence shortly after sunrise with the moon set to obscure the sun by 40 percent at 7.26am, lasting until nearly 9am.

 

Looking directly at the sun is harmful for your eyes at any time but for those interested in catching the rare event in Bangkok, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) will host a small gathering at Benjakiti Park (next to Queen Sirikit Convention Center) from 6-10am. Attendance is free and NARIT will provide safe instruments for viewing the phenomenon. 

 

A total eclipse will happen on Indonesia's islands such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Maluku.

 

If you miss this event, you will have to wait another three years for the phenomenon to recur, on Dec 26, 2019. But don't go expecting a total solar eclipse anytime soon—Thailand's next will happen on Apr 11, 2070.  

 

Other notable upcoming sky activities include the mini-moon phenomenon on Apr 22 and super-moon phenomenon on Nov 14, Loy Kratong Day, when the moon will get its closest to the Earth at 356,536 kilometers. 

 

NARIT also announced that on May 31 Mars will be its closet to the Earth at a distance 75.29 million kilometers—its closet in 11 years. The best time to watch it is between May 22-31 and you'll be able to view it with your bare eyes on the east side of the sky. Stay tuned to NARIT's Facebook for details on upcoming events.