Baily's beads appear on the moon during a total solar eclipse. Baily's beads appear as a result of irregular terrain on the lunar surface, such as mountains or valleys. [File photo from ycwb.com]

The Guangdong Astronomical Society announced on Thursday that a partial solar eclipse will be observable on Jan. 26, the first day of the Chinese lunar New Year in Guangdong, south China, the Yangcheng Evening News reports.

An astronomer said that the upcoming partial solar eclipse will occur at 17:09 Beijing Time. The astronomer also predicts an annular eclipse will be observable at 15:55 in northwest of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesian.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, and the moon's shadow is cast on the Earth's surface. If that happens, people in the area covered by the moon's shadow will see parts of, or the totality of the Sun obscured by the Moon.

The Moon always lies between the earth and the sun on New Year's Day in the Chinese lunar calendar. But not every Chinese lunar New Year is marked by a solar eclipse as the moon's shadow may not fall on the earth's surface. In fact, Guangdong residents will have to wait 38 years to see another solar eclipse on a Chinese New Year's Day, according to astronomers' calculations.