When, where will people witness this year's last solar eclipse?

The world is about to witness the third and last solar eclipse of the year 2023, which will offer a breathtaking sight in several countries around the world on October 14 (today) and 15.

Eclipses occur when the moon, sun and earth align in a rare cosmic setting casting their shadow or blocking the sunlight. This only happens occasionally, because the Moon doesn't orbit in the exact same plane as the Sun and Earth do, according to Nasa.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has also confirmed that the phenomenon is going to take place tonight.

A brief statement by the PMD said that the eclipse will start at night and end right after midnight on October 15 as per Pakistan Standard Time (PST). However, the eclipse will not be visible in Pakistan.

The different phases of solar eclipse will occur at:

• Eclipse begins at 20:04 PST on October 14
• Total eclipse will occur at 21:10 PST on October 14
• Eclipse will peak at 22:59 PST on October 14
• Ends at 00:49 PST on October 15

According to Nasa, in the US, the annular solar eclipse will begin in Oregon and end in Texas.

Later, the eclipse will be visible in parts of the Yucatán peninsula in southwestern Mexico and several Central American countries including Belize, Honduras, and Panama.

The statement by the PMD added that the solar eclipse will then "sweep across central Colombia, and a large stretch of northern Brazil before coming to an end in the Atlantic Ocean, just off Natal, Brazil."

The next time the earth will witness a total solar eclipse is April 8, 2024, and has been dubbed "The Great North American Eclipse" as it will be visible throughout North and Central America, according to Space.com.