Bhubaneswar: Tens of thousands of tourists and locals gaped skyward Thursday, witnessing the solar eclipse at the Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Bhubaneswar and APJ Abdul Kalam Planetarium in Sambalpur through telescopes, protective devices and wearing special eyeglasses. The rare partial solar eclipse began at 8:20:08 am.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth. Partial phases of the solar eclipse will be visible from all over the country in varying magnitude depending upon the geographical position.
When the annular solar eclipse takes place, sky watchers should use safe viewing equipment and proper techniques to view the celestial event as the infrared and ultraviolet rays of the Sun can cause severe retinal damage including blurry vision, black spots, and pain.
According to experts, the eclipse began at 8:20:08 am Indian Standard Time and will end at around 11:29 am.
PNN
