Four solar, two lunar eclipses in 2011

Four solar and two total moon eclipses will be observed in different parts of the world, including in India, in 2011.

The first solar eclipse will take place Jan 4. It will begin at 06:40 GMT and will be visible from Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa.

At maximum eclipse in northern Europe, the moon will cover 86 percent of the Sun's diameter.

The next solar eclipse will occur June 1. People on the Russian Kolguyev island in the Barents Sea will have a chance to observe the Moon covering 60 percent of the Sun's diameter.

The eclipse will also be visible from the eastern Arctic, northern Canada, the Kamchatka peninsula and other regions of Russia's Far East.

On June 15, a total moon eclipse will take place, which will be visible from India, the Middle East, Africa and southern Europe.

Soon after it, another solar eclipse will occur, but this time the moon will cast its shadow on less then 0.1 percent of the sun.

On Nov 25, the moon will cover a total of 90.4 percent of the sun's diameter, but the eclipse will be visible only from Antarctica and its surrounding seas.

People of the entire Eurasia region, as well as of Australia and the northwestern part of North America will have a chance to observe the second and the last total moon eclipse Dec 10 this year.

- IANS, 3 January 2011