Ring of fire – Decade’s last solar eclipse

The annular solar eclipse, the last of the decade, started this morning at about 8 a.m. and continued until about 11.15 a.m. Also referred to as the “ring of fire,” the solar eclipse or “Surya Grahan” was originally seen as an incomplete eclipse and it was first seen in Saudi Arabia from Riyadh.

When the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun the solar eclipse occurs, thereby completely or partially obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse takes place when the moon’s outward diameter is smaller than that of the Sun’s and blocks most of the Sun’s light and the Sun to look like a ring (annulus) of fire.

Many parts of the country, including Odisha, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Delhi, are experiencing a decade-long solar eclipse.

PM Narendra Modi tweeted that he could not see the Ring of fire because of the fog, but caught updated on live stream –

Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019.

Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts. pic.twitter.com/EI1dcIWRIz— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 26, 2019

Skywatchers are advised to use safe viewing equipment and suitable techniques to view the celestial event as the Sun’s infrared and ultraviolet rays can cause severe retinal damage, Press Trust of India quoted a senior astronomer as saying.

One should not look at the Sun directly for even a little period without proper protection. Even when 99 percent of the surface of the Sun is covered by the moon during the partial eclipse, the remaining light is still intense enough to damage the eye.

 Here are some of the tweets of 2019’s last solar eclipse: