North Kerala districts of Kasargod, Kannur and Kozhikode witnessed full solar eclipse on Thursday. The eclipse was partial in other districts in the state.
The eclipse, which began at 8am, will continue till 11.15 am.
Plenty of skygazers are watching the rare celestial phenomenon. Schools have made special arrangements for students to watch the last eclipse of the decade.
The eclipse was first seen in Cheruvathur village in Kasargod district.
People in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to witnessed the celestial phenomenon as the line of the annular solar eclipse pass through these countries.
What is eclipse?
Eclipse happens when the Earth, the Moon and the Sun are aligned in a straight line. When the moon passes between earth and the sun, the moon's shadow is cast on earth. That is what we call solar eclipse. When earth comes in the middle, it darkens the moon.
Though solar and lunar eclipses are quite regular, an annular eclipse is a rare occasion. The Moon covers the Sun but not too much. It leaves out the edges of the Sun, giving a ring like impression in the sky.
How does it work? The Moon's diameter is 3,474 kilometres and its distance from the Earth is 3,84,400 km on average. The Sun is a much larger body, with a diametre of 14 lakh km, but it is more than 15 crore km away. In effect, we feel that both celestial bodies are of the same size and the Moon can actually cover the Sun!
The Earth and the Moon travel in elliptical orbits, leaving us to believe that the Moon appears smaller some times. In such a situation, the Moon cannot completely cover the Sun. That is an annular eclipse.
How to watch eclipse?
It is never safe to look at the Sun with naked eyes. Use solar glasses or projectors. Do not look through a telescope.
However, it is perfectly alright to go out during the time of the eclipse and to eat. Do not fall to superstitions that eclipse can poison the surroundings. Eclipses are celebrated the world over. A rare eclipse like this gives all the more reason to celebrate.
The next annular eclipse will happen on May 21, 2031.
