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The solar eclipse that will take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 will be a total eclipse of the Sun. It will be the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting at greatest eclipse 6 minutes, 58 seconds, it has sparked tourist interest in eastern China and India.
The eclipse is part of series 136 in the Saros cycle, like the record setting Solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. The exceptional duration is a result of the moon being near perigee, with the diameter of the moon 8% larger than the sun (magnitude 1.080). This is second in the series of three eclipses in a month. There was a lunar eclipse on July 7 and now a solar eclipse on July 22 and then a lunar eclipse on August 6.
Visibility
It will be visible from a narrow corridor through nothern Maldives, northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati.
Totality will be visible in many large cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Varanasi, Patna, Dinajpur, Guwahati, Chengdu, Nanchong, Chongqing, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huanggang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam.According to some experts, Taregana in Bihar is the "best" place to view the event.
A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of Southeast Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern Oceania.
Duration
 This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The uninhabited North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum, while the closest inhabited point is Akusekijima, where the eclipse will last 6 minutes and 25 seconds.
How to view eclipse safely??
This Link would help you do that
www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html
Do’s and Don’t during the Solar eclipse according to Hindu rituals
* It is recommended to avoid or postpone to perform any important tasks or deal during the eclipse day
* Fasting is recommended, Many people in India observe fast on the day of eclipse
* Avoid eatables from outside
* Avoid cooking during the eclipse timing
* its recommended to Keep the food and eatables closed during the time of eclipse.
* Hindus perform ritual bath after the eclipse is over
One of the best places to go to for the event in Delhi is the Nehru Planetarium, which is all prepared to give visitors a feel of the total eclipse through a live webcast from China.It wil also be holding a sky watch at the planetarium for the public between 5.30am to 7.30am on July 22. The eclipse can be watched here under the supervision of experts with proper gadgets. It will be a partial eclipse of approximately 85% in Delhi.
That's not all. The planetarium intends to put up a large filter screen through which visitors can safely view the eclipsed sun. There is also an exhibition on historical eclipses seen from India which has interesting material on the celestial spectacle down the ages.
Besides, some schools will be hosting sky watch events on their premises during the eclipse. The National Science Centre too has made special arrangements for people to witness the event free of cost.
The Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) has prepared solar filter goggles which are on sale for Rs 25 each at the planetarium. These goggles can be used for catching short glimpses of the sun each glimpse lasting not more than 5 seconds. |
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