NASHIK:
An annular eclipse of the Sun — the third and final solar eclipse of the year 2019 — will occur today and the public were asked not to watch it with the naked eye as it would cause damages to the vision.
The eclipse will take place from 8.09 hrs to 11.20 hrs. It will be 2019’s only annular or “ring” eclipse, taking place when the moon is near apogee or its farthest point in orbit around Earth. Nashikites can observe the partial eclipse from 8:04 am to 10:55 am in the morning, while in rest of Maharashtra it can be observed from 8:10 am, mid-eclipse at 9.32 am and the culmination at 11 am.
At mid-eclipse, a ring of the sun’s surface will appear around the moon. “It is a rare phenomenon known as ‘ring of fire’,” said Shrinivas Aundhkar, director, MGM APJ Abdul Kalam Astrospace Science Centre & Club, Aurangabad.
He cautioned the people to not watch this rare eclipse through naked eyes directly as would lead to vision problems. In South India, this ‘ring of fire’ will be visible in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu while rest of the country including Nashik and Aurangabad partial solar eclipse will be observed.
“Use goggles. Not to watch it with a naked eye. The partial eclipse will start from 8:04 am and will end at 10.55 am. Pregnant women should avoid watching the eclipse. Don’t eat foodstuffs during the eclipse period,” said Satish Shukla, president. Purohit Sangh adding that people should take a bath after the eclipse and donate to the needy.
As this will be an annular eclipse — not a total solar eclipse — there is no safe window for directly watching this eclipse without proper eye protection. The eclipse will be visible all over Tamilnadu and India. Experts said the sky would glow with ‘a ring of fire’ as the moon eclipses sun from distance.
The annular eclipse is different from the solar eclipse. The latter occurs when the moon travels between the path of the sun and the earth and casts its shadow on the planet. As against it, the annular eclipse were in the moon blocks the Sun thereby forms the ring.
The first solar eclipse on January 6, was a partial solar eclipse and the second one on July 2, was a total solar eclipse.
