It was a day when Mumbaikars, known to be forever on the move, stopped to gaze at the sky. The millennium's longest solar eclipse, which
began at 11.19 am on Friday and concluded at 3.06 pm, drew admiration from the young and the old alike.
The partial solar eclipse reached its zenith around 1.18 pm when the moon covered 64% of the sun. Nehru Planetarium programme co-ordinator Suhas Satam-Naik described this as "quite high''.
Said space scientist Mayank Vahia of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, "I watched it from our institute and it was fascinating.''
According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), a partial solar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are not exactly in line and the moon partially obscures the sun.
Over 2000 students had gathered at the Worli planetarium as well as the nearby Nehru Science Centre to watch the celestial drama unfold. Armed with telescopes, and special goggles, students watched the sun turn into a `bitten-off biscuit'. A camera installed outside the planetarium captured each phase of the eclipse which, in turn, was transmitted to a projector, said Satam-Naik. "This was relayed to a big screen installed in the planetarium lobby for the benefit of the public," he said. "A solar telescope in the upper level of the planetarium and two telescopes on the ground floor made sure that those gathered at the planetarium get the best view.
Umesh Kumar, curator, of the Nehru Science Centre, that the centre had printed 6,600 cards depicting the seven phases of the eclipse. Of these, 1,000 were sold to visitors in Mumbai on Friday and the remaining were dispatched to other centres. The visitors were also treated to a simulation of the annular eclipse at Kanyakumari.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/When-all-eyes-were-glued-to-the-sky/articleshow/5450299.cms
began at 11.19 am on Friday and concluded at 3.06 pm, drew admiration from the young and the old alike.
The partial solar eclipse reached its zenith around 1.18 pm when the moon covered 64% of the sun. Nehru Planetarium programme co-ordinator Suhas Satam-Naik described this as "quite high''.
Said space scientist Mayank Vahia of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, "I watched it from our institute and it was fascinating.''
According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), a partial solar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are not exactly in line and the moon partially obscures the sun.
Over 2000 students had gathered at the Worli planetarium as well as the nearby Nehru Science Centre to watch the celestial drama unfold. Armed with telescopes, and special goggles, students watched the sun turn into a `bitten-off biscuit'. A camera installed outside the planetarium captured each phase of the eclipse which, in turn, was transmitted to a projector, said Satam-Naik. "This was relayed to a big screen installed in the planetarium lobby for the benefit of the public," he said. "A solar telescope in the upper level of the planetarium and two telescopes on the ground floor made sure that those gathered at the planetarium get the best view.
Umesh Kumar, curator, of the Nehru Science Centre, that the centre had printed 6,600 cards depicting the seven phases of the eclipse. Of these, 1,000 were sold to visitors in Mumbai on Friday and the remaining were dispatched to other centres. The visitors were also treated to a simulation of the annular eclipse at Kanyakumari.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/When-all-eyes-were-glued-to-the-sky/articleshow/5450299.cms
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