Chennai, Dec 25 (UNI) An annular eclipse of the Sun--the
third and final solar eclipse of the year 2019--will occur
tomorrow and the public were asked not to watch it with
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.
At mid-eclipse, a ring of the sun’s surface will appear
around the moon.
The first solar eclipse on January 6, was a partial solar
eclipse and the second one on July 2, was a total solar
eclipse.
As tis 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 where in the moon
blocks the Sun thereby forms the ring.
Generally, the moon revolves around the earth in an
elliptical orbit. However, when it is far away at a
distance of 3,57,000 km, it moves away from the earth.
During the process, the apparent angular size of the
moon will be diminished. At the time of maximum eclipse,
it will not be able to cover the entire disk of the sun, leaving
the edges visible which is called as annularity.
This phenomenon is known as 'ring of fire',' Birla Planetarium
Executive Director Soundararaja Perumal said.
He cautioned the people to not watch this rare eclipse
through naked eyes directly as would lead to vision
problems.
While it could be watched from anywhere, he said the
annularity varies from one place to another. The annularity
will be visible from places like Udhagamandalam, Coimbatore,
Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Dindigul, Pudukottai and Tiruchirapalli
among other places.
Partial eclipse can be observed from any part of India,' he said.
He said elaborate arrangements were made at the Planetarium
for the people to watch the phenomenon.
In view of the annular solar eclipse, several temples across India,
including the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, will
remain closed.
UNI GV 1715