Annular eclipse — southern India to Malaysia (2031)
From Angola via Tanzania and Kerala to the Malay Peninsula — a five-minute ring over Kochi around 1 pm.
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The moment of Annular eclipse — southern India to Malaysia (2031): https://nowsky.org/e/annular-eclipse-2031 — opens at the right place and time, replayable, no login.
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The story
The annular eclipse of 21 May 2031 draws a long diagonal across the Indian Ocean. It begins in Angola, crosses Zambia and Tanzania to the sea, spans the ocean to the Kerala coast of southern India, then runs over northern Sri Lanka and the Bay of Bengal to end on the Malay Peninsula. Maximum annularity, 5 minutes 26 seconds, is over the ocean.
At Kochi in Kerala the ring lasts about five minutes around 1 p.m. with the Sun high in the sky. A high Sun means little risk from buildings or terrain and a thin column of air, so the geometry is favourable; the catch is that late May brings the approach of the south-west monsoon, and cloud is the day's unknown.
Southern India also lay under the record annular of January 2010 (11 min 8 s) and the annular of December 2019 — three rings within a generation. The African interior, at the tail of the dry season, is comparatively reliable.
As an annular eclipse it is never safe to view unfiltered, even at the moment the ring is sharpest. Set Kochi as the location in the sky view for the ring on a high noon Sun, or switch to Dar es Salaam or Kuala Lumpur for the timing and altitude there.
Why it matters
5 minutes 26 seconds is a long annular. It falls short of 2010's eleven minutes but exceeds most rings (two to four minutes), which favours leisurely observation of Baily's beads at both ends and campaigns to measure the solar radius.
As a tropical eclipse over dense populations it is a re-run of December 2019: cities in southern India and Malaysia share the ring, and counting partial phases, billions across East Africa, South and South-East Asia are in reach. India's public-viewing and anti-superstition campaigns are likely to return.
Because the ring ends on the Malay Peninsula, the Kuala Lumpur region sees a late-afternoon ring — Malaysia's first central path since the partial eclipse of 2019.
How to watch
Annular track: Angola (morning) → Zambia → Tanzania (late morning) → Indian Ocean (maximum 5 min 26 s) → Kochi, Kerala (around 13:00 IST, about five minutes, Sun above 70°) → Tamil Nadu → northern Sri Lanka → Bay of Bengal → Malay Peninsula (late afternoon). Partial phases across southern and eastern Africa and most of South and South-East Asia. Not visible from Korea.
Certified filters are required throughout. A high noon Sun is especially intense, and even a brief unfiltered glance is dangerous. With the monsoon front approaching Kerala, a plan that allows moving inland toward Tamil Nadu on the forecast is sensible.
The sky replay tracks the Sun over Kochi and slows for the ring; switch the location to Dar es Salaam for the late-morning ring or Kuala Lumpur for the late-afternoon one.
See this for yourself — open that sky at that moment · replay the moment in the orbit view
Background
The eclipse belongs to Saros 138. Its predecessor on 10 May 2013 was an annular over northern Australia and the Pacific; its successor on 31 May 2049 crosses the Atlantic and Africa.
Southern India falls under three annular paths in 21 years — 15 January 2010 (11 min 8 s), 26 December 2019 and 21 May 2031. The coincidence has built a local observing culture.
2031 also has a hybrid (total–annular) eclipse over the Pacific on 14 November; both central eclipses of the year favour southern and equatorial seas.
The May 2031 annular eclipse belongs to Saros 138; the previous member was the annular of 10 May 2013 over northern Australia and the Pacific, and the next is 1 June 2049. The path begins in the Atlantic, crosses Angola, Zambia and Tanzania, spans the Indian Ocean, passes through Kerala and Tamil Nadu and continues to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. May in southern India is just before the monsoon, with frequent afternoon cloud, and seasonal statistics give inland Madurai better odds of clear sky than Kochi. A solar filter remains necessary even when the ring is closed, a point local guidance will stress repeatedly.
FAQ
When and how long is the ring at Kochi?
Around 1 p.m. for about five minutes, with the Sun above 70 degrees.
Where is the ring longest?
Over the Indian Ocean, at 5 minutes 26 seconds.
What about the weather?
Late May in Kerala is just before the monsoon and often cloudy; the African interior is comparatively reliable.
Is it visible from Korea?
No — the path lies over the Indian Ocean, with no partial phase for Korea.
Related
- The 2019 annular over Singapore
- The 2010 annular over the Maldives
- The 2035 annular over Wellington
- The Sun — object index
- The Moon — object index
Times and figures are approximate — verify with official sources when planning travel. Simulation uses J2000 mean elements.