Hi ! We are all going to see the total solar eclipse tomorrow morning..which has thrilled everyone.. Its a rare chance that should not be missed...It occurs when the new moon gets between Earth and Sun, and covers the solar disc completely. This can happen only during a new moon, when the sun and moon are in conjunction as witnessed from earth. Today's Post is special Post to celebrate this lifetime oppertunity to view the eclipse...so get ready with your filters and glasses...to view this great phenomenon !! Some nice stamps on solar eclipse for this special Post...Till Next Post ...Have a Great Time !!
The solar eclipse that will take place on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 will be a total eclipse of the Sun. It will be the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting at greatest eclipse 6 minutes, 39 seconds, it has sparked tourist interest in eastern China and India.
The eclipse is part of series 136 in the Saros cycle, like the record setting Solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. The exceptional duration is a result of the moon being near perigee, with the diameter of the moon 8% larger than the sun (magnitude 1.080). This is second in the series of three eclipses in a month. There was a lunar eclipse on July 7 and now a solar eclipse on July 22 and then a lunar eclipse on August 6.
It will be visible from a narrow corridor through nothern Maldives, northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati.
Totality will be visible in many large cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Varanasi, Patna, Dinajpur, Guwahati, Chengdu, Nanchong, Chongqing, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huanggang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam. According to some experts, Taregana in Bihar is the "best" place to view the event.
A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of South East Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern Oceania. Taregana is treated as one of the best locations to see this solar eclipse.
With the countdown to the longest total solar eclipse of this Century having already begun, astronomers and science experts are organising a series of activities at different places on Wednesday morning. According to National Science Centre director Shivaprasad Khened, it will be a lifetime opportunity for not just Delhiites but also people in different States and Union Territories of the country to view the eclipse.
Pradip Jain writes from Patna...
Total Solar Eclipse - July 22nd, 2009
Hundreds of scientists, researchers and astro-tourists from across the world are raching Patna to arrive in the Bihar - Taregana village ahead of the total solar eclipse. These include scientists from US space agency NASA, Britain, Italy, Germany, France. The total eclipse, starting a little after sunrise, is expected to last three minutes and 48 seconds at Taregana. According to the NASA forecast based on satellite imagery, the sky over the region is likely to be less cloudy than others along the path of the total solar eclipse. So it may offer one of the best views of the celestial phenomenon.
Taregana already has an ancient connection with astronomy, having been one of the two places used by 6th century Indian astronomer-mathematician Aryabhatta for his celestial studies.
Total Solar Eclipse - 4th December 2002
The South African Post office issued the total Solar Eclipse of 4 December 2002 a special Stamp Miniature Sheet and a Postcard on the day of the eclipse. The postcard shows the umbra (eclipse shadow) as it progressively cover the sun, culminating in the total eclipse. The commemorative envelope bears a graphic illustration of the eclipse track against the backdrop of a map indicating its path from the Atalantic through different parts of South Africa up to Australia.
