The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Longest eclipse of the century tomorrow

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Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Longest eclipse of the century tomorrow

Lalithasai

Totality will last for different durations at different places

CHENNAI: A rare opportunity, to see the corona of the sun, awaits astronomers on July 22, when a total solar eclipse will occur. It will be visible in India.

“This will be the longest eclipse of this century with the maximum phase being 6 minutes 39 seconds. The next total solar eclipse that can be viewed from many parts of India will occur only on June 3, 2114,” according to P. Iyamperumal, Executive Director, Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, Chennai.

Wednesday’s eclipse will also be visible over some of the Japanese Islands, China and South Pacific Ocean.

On July 22 the path of the moon’s darker shadow (umbra) will extend across India. “The central path will begin in India’s Gulf of Khambhat at 6.23 a.m. . The moon will pass through its closest point to the earth several hours earlier and so the path of totality will be unusually wide.”

This shadow will sweep over cities such as Itarsi, Silvasa, Jabalpur, Vadodara, Ujjain, Mirzapur, Gaya, Patna, Muzzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Thimpu, Itanagar, Dibrugarh, Gangtok, Surat, Bhopal, Indore and Varanasi. Travelling across Bhutan, the umbra will touch Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, before reaching China. South Pacific will experience the greatest eclipse at 8.05 a.m. . In India, the totality will last for different durations at different locations. At Surat, the totality will be for 3 minute 17 seconds, at Varanasi it will be 3 minutes 8 secs, at Itarsi 2 minute 50 seconds. Those in Tamil Nadu would only see a partial eclipse.

In Chennai the sun would rise as an eclipsed one at 5.52 a.m. . Only 63 per cent of the sun will be obscured by the moon at the time of greatest eclipse at 6.21 am. It would begin at 5.29 a.m. and end at 7.18 a.m.

It is dangerous to look at the sun during an eclipse except during the brief period of totality, when its disk is completely covered. Therefore, special protection is required to be taken for viewing during partial or total eclipses.

The safest way to view the disk is by the projection method in which an image of the disk is projected on a white paper using a telescope or binoculars. The Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, Chennai, is making special arrangements for the public to view the eclipse safely using telescope projection methods at the B.M. Birla Planetarium, Gandhi Mandapam Road on July 22.

Science and Technology Unit of Chennai has also arranged telescopes to view the eclipse at Elliots beach in Besant Nagar.

Volunteers and experts of the Unit will explain about the phenomenon. Participants can sketch the eclipse, write an essay or take photographs using binoculars and cameras. Best presentations will be awarded prizes.

As per a press release, the Unit is also conducting a free seminar on ‘Eclipse – its myths and facts’ at Sacred Heart College on L.B. Road at Thiruvanmiyur on Tuesday at 6 p.m. People can collect solar filters or UV rays filter glasses at the venue. For details, call 9840801252.

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