Kolkata (PTI): A partial solar eclipse will be visible in India on the afternoon of August 1 with the people in the north-eastern region in a better position to see a substantial part of the sun's disc being obscured by the moon.

The partial eclipse will be seen in the north-eastern region, starting from about 4.08 pm, while in Kolkata, the solar phenomenon will begin at 4.18 pm and end at 6.02 pm, M P Birla Planetarium Director D P Duari said here on Monday.

The greatest and the end phases of the partial eclipse will be visible from most parts of the country, except in Nagaland and Mizoram where the eclipse ends after sunset, Duari said.

The maximum obscuration of the sun will occur at Sibsagar where the magnitude of the partial eclipse will be around 0.8.

A total eclipse will be visible in Canada extending across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia and China.

The next solar eclipse -- a partial one -- will occur on January 26, 2009, but the phenomenon will be marginally visible from eastern and southern India.