Skywatchers are in for a Republic Day treat. An annular solar eclipse will be visible in Calcutta from 3pm to 3.58pm on Monday.
The partial eclipse will be most pronounced around 3.30pm. The sky is expected to remain clear at the time, said the weatherman.
Watching the eclipse without precaution could damage the eyes, warned Debiprosad Duari, the director (research and academic) of MP Birla Planetarium. “Those watching the eclipse should use proper solar filters or No. 14 welder’s glass. The other option is to project the image of the eclipse on a surface and watch it.”
While the moon covers the sun’s disc completely in a total solar eclipse, only a part of the sun is covered in a partial eclipse. “In an annular eclipse, the moon covers a part of the sun’s surface, leaving only a rim of the solar disc visible,” said Duari.
From Calcutta, only two per cent of the sun’s disc will be obscured by the moon on Monday.
The annular eclipse will be visible from a wide belt spanning the Indian Ocean, western Indonesia and the southern third of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar and Vishakapatnam are some of the other cities in India where the eclipse will be visible.
“The annular solar eclipse will transform the sun into a dark disc with a brilliantly bright ring and the corona of the sun around its rim,” said Duari.
The Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) has made arrangements for people to view the eclipse from its rooftop with a Galilean telescope.
“The observation session is open to all. Our education officers will explain the phenomenon as well as the importance of the Galilean telescope,” said E. Islam, the director of BITM.
Monday’s eclipse will be the only annular eclipse in the year. The next annular eclipse will occur on January 15, 2010.
The partial eclipse will be most pronounced around 3.30pm. The sky is expected to remain clear at the time, said the weatherman.
Watching the eclipse without precaution could damage the eyes, warned Debiprosad Duari, the director (research and academic) of MP Birla Planetarium. “Those watching the eclipse should use proper solar filters or No. 14 welder’s glass. The other option is to project the image of the eclipse on a surface and watch it.”
While the moon covers the sun’s disc completely in a total solar eclipse, only a part of the sun is covered in a partial eclipse. “In an annular eclipse, the moon covers a part of the sun’s surface, leaving only a rim of the solar disc visible,” said Duari.
From Calcutta, only two per cent of the sun’s disc will be obscured by the moon on Monday.
The annular eclipse will be visible from a wide belt spanning the Indian Ocean, western Indonesia and the southern third of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar and Vishakapatnam are some of the other cities in India where the eclipse will be visible.
“The annular solar eclipse will transform the sun into a dark disc with a brilliantly bright ring and the corona of the sun around its rim,” said Duari.
The Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM) has made arrangements for people to view the eclipse from its rooftop with a Galilean telescope.
“The observation session is open to all. Our education officers will explain the phenomenon as well as the importance of the Galilean telescope,” said E. Islam, the director of BITM.
Monday’s eclipse will be the only annular eclipse in the year. The next annular eclipse will occur on January 15, 2010.
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