The Last ‘Solar Eclipse’ of the Decade – ‘Ring of Fire’

The last solar eclipse of the decade has begun and it’ll continue throughout the day. Often referred to as the ‘ring of fire’, the eclipse will be visible as a partial eclipse in India and is clearly visible from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. 

In India, the eclipse will be visible from some parts of Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. According to calculation, the maximum eclipse will be visible between 10:30 am to 11:00 am this morning, but the maximum duration of the annular solar eclipse will be little more than 3 minutes in India.

In order to understand solar eclipse, let us understand its types. The solar eclipse has three types namely total, partial and annular.

Normally a solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, totally or partly thereby obstructing the sunlight to reach Earth. While, an annular solar eclipse takes place when the apparent diameter of the moon is smaller than that of the Sun, thus blocking most of the Sun’s light and therefore the Sun looks like a ring of fire.

In a year there can be two solar eclipses and in some rare cases, the eclipse can be up to seven in a year.

In partial stages of the solar eclipse will be visible from various parts of the country depending on its magnitude, geographical position.

Going by tradition many temples across the country will remain close which includes Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, Meenakshi temple in Madurai and Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh. They will be reopened only after the purification rituals. Several cultures and faiths believe that during an eclipse, the sun emits radiations that are harmful and thus temples are kept shut so as to prevent these radiations from affecting the deity inside the temple.

Astronomers also issued several dos and don’ts for the safe viewing of the eclipse ahead of the solar eclipse. Skywatchers are therefore advised in advance to use proper viewing equipment and proper techniques to view the celestial event as the infrared and ultraviolet rays from the Sun can cause severe retinal damage.

Debiprosad Duari, Director of MP Birla Planetarium has said, “One should not look at the Sun directly for even a little period without proper protection. Even when 99 per cent of the surface of the Sun is covered by the moon during partial eclipse, the remaining light is still intense enough to damage the eye. Proper solar filters with certified appropriate optical density against radiation which are safe to the eyes should be used in front optical devices and the naked eye”.

Apart from India, the solar eclipse will be visible in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Guam, Singapore and the Northern Mariana Islands. Several YouTube channels are arranging the live viewing of solar eclipse, where a viewer can watch the eclipse from various phases. Some of the YouTube channels are - Canary Islands-based Slooh Observatory, Cosmo Sapiens, Sri Lanka's Tharulowa Digital, among others.