A spectacular “ring of fire” will be visible in the sky during the annual solar eclipse (File)
New Delhi:
Skywatchers living in a narrow band covering parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand) will witness today, June 21, a dramatic “ring of fire” in the sky – the first solar eclipse of 2020 The rest of the country will see a partial solar eclipse, also known as Surya Grahan.
The first solar eclipse of this year which coincides with the summer solstice, when the northern hemisphere has the longest day, will be an annular eclipse. Outside India, the eclipse will be visible in Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan and China.
“The June 21 solar eclipse will be an annular eclipse. It will be visible to the whole country as a partial eclipse and as an annular eclipse to three states – Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana. It will start around 10:20 am and end around 2:20 p.m., “Pattnaik, deputy director of the Pathani Samanta planetarium, told PTI.
“The annular solar eclipse is a special case of the total solar eclipse. Like the total solar eclipse, the moon is aligned with the sun. However, on this day, the apparent size of the moon happens to be a little smaller than the sun. Therefore, the moon covers the central part of the sun, and the edge of the sun appears like a “ring of fire” in the sky for a very short time, “said Sami Dhurde of the Interuniversity Center for astronomy and astrophysics at ANI.
“In India, the darkening of the sun by the moon at the time of the largest phase of the annular eclipse will be almost 98.6%. The darkening of the sun by the moon at the time of the largest phase of the “The partial eclipse will be around 94% in Delhi, 66% in Kolkata, 62% in Mumbai, 37% in Bangalore, 34% in Chennai,” said the Press Information Bureau in a statement.
The partial eclipse will start at 9:15 a.m. while the full eclipse will start at 10:17 a.m.The complete annular eclipse will end at 2:02 p.m. while the partial phase will end at 3:04 p.m.
The solar eclipse will be visible in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru at the following times.
Times of the Delhi solar eclipse
Start of the partial eclipse: 10:20 a.m.
Maximum eclipse: 12:01 p.m.
End of partial eclipse: 1:48 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours, 29 minutes
Kolkata solar eclipse schedule
Start of the partial eclipse: 10:46 a.m.
Maximum eclipse: 12:35 p.m.
End of partial eclipse: 2:17 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours, 31 minutes
Solar eclipse mumbai timings
Start of the partial eclipse: 10 a.m.
Maximum eclipse: 11:37 a.m.
End of partial eclipse: 1:27 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours, 27 minutes
Chennai solar eclipse schedule
Start of the partial eclipse: 10:22 a.m.
Maximum eclipse: 11:59 a.m.
End of partial eclipse: 1:41 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Times of the Bangalore solar eclipse
Start of the partial eclipse: 10:12 a.m.
Maximum eclipse: 11:47 a.m.
End of partial eclipse: 1:31 p.m.
Duration: 3 hours, 19 minutes
A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the moon is between the earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow on the earth.
The eclipsed sun should not be seen with the naked eye, even for a very short time. It can cause permanent eye damage, causing blindness, even when the moon covers most of the sun.
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. Usually there are two eclipses in a row, but at other times there are three during the same eclipse season. This is the second eclipse of this season. The first, the penal lunar eclipse, took place on June 5 and the third eclipse this season, another penal lunar eclipse, will take place on July 5.
(With the contribution of the agencies)
