What is Solar Eclipse?
It happens when the moon passes between the Sun and Earth so that the sun is fully or partially covered.
Image Courtesy: NASA
It will take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 – it will be an entire eclipse of the sun. It would last at greatest eclipse 6 minutes and 39 seconds.
In which areas it will be visible?
It will be visible in India, Eastern Nepal, Bangladesh (North), Central China and pacific ocean.
In India, it will be visible in totality in Bhavnagar, Surat, Ujjain, Indore, Bhopal, Sagar, Jabalpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Gaya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Jalpaigudi, Guwahati and Dibrugarh etc. According to NASA, Taregana in Bihar is considered as the best place to experience it. Over the region, clouds are expected to be less likely so the possibility of watching the eclipse is more compared to other parts of the country.
All of China and rest of India will observe partial eclipse.
The magnitude of total solar eclipse will be approximately 1.080. Gamma would be 0. 0696 and Saros would be 136 (37 of 71)
The next total solar eclipse will be on July 11th, 2010 which will be seen in South pacific, Chile and Argentina. However, it won’t surpass this solar eclipse in duration. For that, you have to wait till June 13, 2132
What are the Superstitions attached to it?
- People should not start any new activity during the eclipse.
- People should take a bath after a solar eclipse.
- People should not eat during the eclipse given that food is not pure at this time. Any cooked food before the eclipse should also be thrown out.
- People should not hold any of the sharp instruments like knife or axe; otherwise, during eclipse, they might cut themselves.
- If pregnant woman experiences the eclipse directly, she would be having a blind baby or one with a crevice lip.
What are the Do’s and Don’ts of it?
- Do not look at the Sun without UV glasses. If looked by naked eyes, it may burn the retina and one may have a very bad impact on the eyesight.
- Ordinary Sunglasses is a big NO to see the Sun; only UV glasses have the ability to reduce its intensity.
- Use of pinhole camera and project the Sun’s image on a wall is considered as the safest method.
- Find or make a long box or tube.
- Cut a hole in the centre of one end of the box.
- Tape a piece of foil over the hole.
- Poke a small hole in the foil with a pin.
- Cut a viewing hole in the side of the box.
- Put a piece of white paper inside the end of the box near the viewing portal.
- Point the end of the box with the pinhole at the sun so that you see a round image on the paper at the other end. If you are having trouble pointing, look at the shadow of the box on the ground. The round spot of light you see on the paper is a pinhole image of the sun. Do not look through the pinhole at the sun! Look only at the image on the paper.
- If you have some shady trees in your location, try looking at the images of the sun coming through the holes formed by the leaves.
- A piece of white poster board is all you may need to have a great viewing session!
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