Enthusiasts across the country gathered to watch last Solar Eclipse of decade

Guwahati: On Thursday, 26 December, people across the country gathered to witness the last solar eclipse of the decade. A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun and when all the three celestial bodies are aligned, the eclipse occurs.

"The narrow corridor of annular phase of the eclipse will pass through the southern part of the country through certain places like Cannanore, Coimbatore, Kozhikode, Madurai, Mangalore, Ooty, Tiruchirappalli etc. In India, the obscuration of the Sun by the Moon at the time of greatest phase of the annular eclipse will be nearly 93%," informed the Ministry of Earth Science.

The event should only be observed by using a proper filter like aluminized Mylar, black polymer, welding glass of shade number 14 or by making a projection of Sun's image on a whiteboard by telescope. It is dangerous to view the eclipse through naked eyes as it can cause blindness.

The partial phase of the eclipse began at 8 am. The annular phase between 9: 06 am and 12:29 pm. The partial phase will end at 1:36 pm.

Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019. Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on the live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts, Prime Minister tweeted through his account.

The next solar eclipse will be visible from India on June 21, 2020. It will be an annular solar eclipse. From the rest part of the country, it will be seen as a partial solar eclipse.

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