| Follow us on Twitter |
The eclipse will be seen in several countries including India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China. It is expected to be one of the most widely viewed in history and will last for more than six minutes in some places, passing over some of the most heavily-populated places on earth.
The event began just after dawn local time on India's east coast. Several cities including Bhopal and Varanasi will be plunged into complete darkness. Foreign scientists and eclipse enthusiasts, known as shadow chasers, have arrived in the region to watch the spectacle.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected to gather on the banks of India's River Ganges to offer prayers as the moon blocks out the sun. The eclipse will move across India, towards China and eventually reach the Pacific Ocean.
Totality of the 2009 eclipse will be of six minutes and 39 seconds.
"It is a lifetime opportunity not to be missed. It is a rare chance as the next total solar eclipse will occur over the country on March 20 in 2034 and that too for a very short duration. Although there is an eclipse scheduled to occur on January 15 in 2010, it will be an annular solar eclipse," said National Science Centre Director Shivaprasad Khened.
Special arrangements have been made at NSC office near Pragati Maidan to view the eclipse safely. In Delhi it will be a partial solar eclipse with 88 per cent totality.
As India gets TSE for the first time in this century and not before 2114, the country is going to witness this exceptionally long duration eclipse from a narrow patch.
Cities like Surat, Varanasi and Patna also would be in the totality path, but Kolkata would get only the partial phase.
Materials from ABC Australia and DDNEWS are used in the report.
Posted July 22nd, 2009 by Armen Hareyan
