BHOPAL: The local residents witnessed partial solar eclipse after 25 years on Sunday. It lasted for three hours thirty three minutes in the city starting at 10.14 am and ending at 1.47pm. The shadow of the moon covered 74% to 79 % of the sun at 11.57 am.
The sun looked like a sickle hanging in the sky. People witnessed this moment wearing masks and maintaining social distancing while some of them watched this online due to COVID-19. This was first solar eclipse this year and people will have to wait for another 11 years to see such a solar eclipse in India.
Regional Science Centre project coordinator Krishnendu Choudhury told Free Press that public visiting was not allowed due to corona pandemic. Therefore, they organised live streaming of partial solar eclipse at the centre through Facebook and YouTube. Besides, they have set up equipment at Government Gurukulam Residential School, Bawadiyakalan, Bhopal, for teachers so that they can tell students about the process of annular solar eclipse later.
He said this was annular solar eclipse or ring of fire in India and its path started from Rajasthan via Haryana, Uttrakhand, China and lasted till Pacific Ocean. Its starting point was Africa.
“It was cloudy but partial solar eclipse was visible in Bhopal. And its coverage (shadow of moon) was nearly 74%, which was good in comparison to other cities of the country, he said.
A science communicator from MP Vigyan Sabha Ashish Pare said this was first solar eclipse of this year. It occurred in 1995. He said the partial solar eclipse started from 10.14 am and ended at 1.47 pm in Bhopal. Nearly 12 students visited at Gyan-Vigyan Parisar near LNCT to see the solar eclipse while more than 100 people witnessed the moment at their centres in Sheopur, Khargone districts. “Nearly 10 residents of Vidya Nagar, Bhopal, where I live saw the eclipse with help of solar filters,” he said. He further said the strength of the visitors was less due to COVID-19 and Sunday.
Another science communicator Sarika Gharu from Sohagpur said that she showed the solar eclipse to people of Bhopal online. “We are getting lot of calls from Bhopal. Actually we organised such event in Bhopal on December 26 last year and this time too I was about to organise it but due to COVID-19, it couldn’t be done,” she said. She said similar solar eclipse will be seen in India on May 21, 2031.
Mamta Kasif, a homemaker who lives at Vidya Nagar, said that she saw the eclipse with her husband and daughter from rood using solar filter. “It was very nice experience,” she said.
