Surya Grahan or Solar Eclipse Dec 2019: Solar Eclipse is being witnessed from different parts of India. The year 2019 and the second decade of century is ending with an annular solar eclipse. The last solar eclipse of the decade has generated much curiosity in the scientific community and the general public as it will be visible from some of the post populated parts of the world including India. Thursday’s solar eclipse, which is an Annular Solar eclipse of 0.97 magnitude, will have 3 minutes and 39 seconds’ maximum duration of totality. Southern towns of the country will get the full glimpse of the “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse while rest of the country will view a partial solar eclipse.
The December 26 Annular Solar Eclipse is being witnessed from India, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia. In India, Solar Eclipse is also an occasion of religious significance as it falls on no-moon day or Amavasya when people take dip in the holy rivers and ponds and perform different religious rituals. People are thronging major pilgrimage centres across India including Kurukshetra in Haryana, Pushkar in Rajasthan, Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Nashik in Maharashtra, Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Gangasagar in West Bengal, etc.
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The last Solar ecliose of the decade is now over at 1.45 PM IST. Moon's shadow was last seen over Western Pacific with the setting Sun marking an end to the spectacular celestial event.
Solar and Lunar eclipses within a fortnight will be witnessed in India twice in next 6 months! Know dates, key details of upcoming Solar and Lunar eclipses in 2020. Click here
There have been three Solar Eclipses in 2019. However, today's Solar Eclipse was the decade's last solar eclipse.
Generally there are three types of solar eclipse - partial, annular, and total. Experts advised people not to look directly at the Sun during the phase of the eclipse. Looking at the Sun directly can damage one's eyes. The eclipse can seen through pinhole, solar filters, camera and telescopic projection.
People in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu today witnessed Solar Eclipse. Fog, however, has played spoilsport in a few parts. Several temple remains closed. Many people performed rituals across India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he enriched his knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts.
Fog blocked the view of the much-awaited annual solar eclipse in Delhi on Thursday morning. But people in the southern parts of the country were able to watch the rare celestial spectacle.
Like Kerala, several temples in Tamil Nadu too were closed in line with the rituals due to the Solar Eclipse.
The last Solar eclipse of 2019 was visible to people living in various parts of the state including Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Udhagamandalam and Madurai. However, people in Coimbatore and Erode were left disappointed as cloud cover in that region hampered visibility.
Several temples in Kerala, including Padmanabha Swamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram, Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple and Lord Krishna temple at Guruvayur remained closed during the solar eclipse. These temples are expected to open after purification rites.
"Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about Solare Eclipse 2019. 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 live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
The last eclipse of the year was well visible to people living in various parts of the state including Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Udhagamandalam and Madurai even as reports reaching from Coimbatore and Erode said cloud cover in that region hampered visibility. (PTI)
The annual solar eclipse on Thursday was witnessed by scores of people across Tamil Nadu as it was visible in different parts of the state. Many temples in the state were closed in line with the rituals.
In New Delhi, Solar ecliopse will be visible till 10.57 am. It will continue to be seen in Indonesia and Pacific Islands till early afternoon on Thursday.
Thousands of of devotees have also reached the Ganga Ghats in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Pilgrims have come to Dev Prayag, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Varanasi for a holy dip in the river and offer special prayers during the occasion.
Solar Eclipse or Surya Grahan holds relgious significance in India. Temple doors remain close but devotees hold special prayers and take dip in Rivers and ponds across the country to mark the ocassion. In North India, haryana's Kurukshetra is the epicentre of solar eclipse prayers. Pilgrims from across Haryana and neighboring states have come here to take holy dip in Brahmasarovar.
Breakthrough Science Society Kerala chapter has organised an eclipse camp. The solar eclipse of December 26, 2019 is the last one of the year and is an annual eclipse giving the ring of fire view.
Cloud cover in Wayanad in Kerala and karanataka' Bengaluru and other parts of the country have blocked the view of annular solar eclipse for many.
The last eclipse of the decade is an annual solar eclipse and not a total solar eclipse in which the Moon is at its farthest from the earth and is not able to cover the Sun's disk completely, at least from our view here on Earth. Only a part of the Sun is covered in annular eclipses leaving a ring of fire visible from behind the moon.
Maximumu solar eclipse has started in parts of India. Ring of Fire is now visible in North Kerala, Coastal Karnataka and Central Tamil Nadu. Excited sclipse-watchers, scientists and students were waiting for this moment.
DO NOT look directly at the sun. Not even during an annular eclipse or ring of fire phase. It can lead to blindness and other forms of permanent eye damage if you aren't wearing proper eye protection.
From Middle East, the annular phase has started at 9:04 am. It will end by 12:30 pm at Pacific region after which the moon will leave the edges of the Sun, ending the partial eclipse by 1:35 pm. The maximum eclipse will start at 10:47 am when the moon is closest to the centre of the sun.
Cloud cover in Kerala's Wayanad making it difficult for citizens to catch the glimpse of the eclipse. Kasaragod, Kannur, Kottayam have clear sky.
Students are lining up at planetariums and schools across the country to watch solar eclipse with speacialised eclipse glasses. In Kerala, special arrangements are made by the state and district administration. The best view of Ring of Fire is visible in North Kerala districts of Kannur, Kasargode, Kozhikode and Wayanad. Administration has distributed 6,00,000 solar goggles across the state so that people can observe the eclipse safely. Never watch an eclipse with the naked eye. It can be harmful.
The Ring of Fire effect of annular solar eclipse is now visible in parts of Middle east including Saudi Arabia, Oman and UAE. It will be visible in India shortly.
Haryana's Kurukshtera, site of Mahabharata war, is holding Surya Grahan Mela on Thursday. Security arrangements have been made by the district administrations and many pilgrims are coming to take a holy dip in Brahma Sarovar. There is a "kumbh-like" feel to the city today as thousands of devotees have descended here from all parts of the country.
There is a thick fog cover in Delhi NCR and most of north India. People are not able to see the Sun yet. Visibility is poor leaving many enthusiasts disappointed.
The Solar Eclipse 2019 has started, people in most parts of India can now view partial solar ecliopse. People in Kerala Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will see Ring of Fire. It is formed when the moon does not cover the sun completely and a ring like view of Sun can be seen behind the Moon. The “dark disk on top of a larger sun-colored disk” forms a “ring of fire”.
Partial Annular solar eclipse is now visible in many parts of India including Gujarat and Kerala.
Following the religious traditions, portals of most of the temples in India with few exceptions will remain close till the solar eclipse is over. Delhi's Birla Mandir is closed due to ahead of solar eclipse today.
There is a good news for people who are not in the region where Ring of Fire will be visible on Thursday as they can catch the event's digital streaming live online. Some websites are streaming the solar eclipse live including Slooh.com– the official website of the Sri Lankan astronomy channel called Tharulowa Digital.
Ranji Trophy matches in Mumbai and rajkot will have a delayed start on Thursday due to Annular Solar Eclipse. The second day of the ongoing Ranji Trophy Group matches, bewteen Mumbai and Railways, and UP and Saurastra, in Mumbai and Rajkot respectively will start late by two hours from the regular time due to solar eclipse.
One should not look at the Sun directly for even a little period without proper protection. Even when 99 per cent of the surface of the Sun is covered by the moon during partial eclipse, the remaining light is still intense enough to damage the eye. Here are the things you can use to see Solar Eclipse safely:
- Proper solar filters with certified appropriate optical density against radiation
- Aluminised mylar films of approved thickness and transmittivity coated with black polymer
- Welders glass number 14 is a safe material
- pinhole camera or a telescopic projection on a suitable surface
The moon's shadow has starting covering the Sun in parts of Middle East. The solar eclipse will begin in India shortly. It appeared at the first location at 7:59:53am IST on Thursday, December 26.
Not using proper methods and equipment for viewing can cause permanent eye damage or severe visual loss. Annular and Partial solar Eclipses should not be stared at with naked eyes.