Solar eclipse Malaysia: Here’s how to safely catch the eclipse today

You’ve probably heard by now that Malaysia is set to experience a partial solar eclipse today (20 April). According to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), the partial solar eclipse will be happening around lunch time, and can be viewed by Malaysians in East Malaysia from 11am to 2pm, while those in Peninsula Malaysia can see it from 11am to 1pm.

For those in the Peninsula, the solar eclipse will reach maximum coverage of anywhere between 1% to 15%, while in Kuching, Sarawak it should reach 30% coverage. In Kota Kinabalu meanwhile it’ll hit around 34% with the highest coverage able to be seen from Tawau at 43%. The last time Malaysia saw a partial solar eclipse was just a few years ago on 21 June 2020, but the next one will only happen on 2 August 2027.

But before you immediately head out and stare at the sun, you may want to first read on to find out how you can safely observe a solar eclipse. The simplest way would be to get solar viewing glasses, also known as eclipse glasses. They’re usually quite cheap but we don’t suggest getting cheap ones off Shopee just in case they don’t meet the standards for direct viewing of the sun. At the KL National Planetarium and in Tawau though, eclipse glasses will be given out to the public to allow them to watch the eclipse safely.

If you’re not in Tawau or near the KL National Planetarium though, you can also make a pinhole projector. We won’t go into specifics—you can look it up—but it’s basically a a way to project an image of the solar eclipse onto a piece of paper, letting you see the sun get blacked out without actually having to stare into the sky.

If all else fails though, you can just check out the National Planetarium’s Facebook and YouTube channels, as they will be live streaming the solar eclipse. It’s also worth noting that if the weather isn’t great you might not be able to see the partial solar eclipse happening anyway. Mosti also advised Muslims who are fasting to not stay out under the sun too long for fear of dehydration.