Bhubaneswar: The solar eclipse Sunday will be an annular affair, said Subhendu Patnaik, deputy director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium here Saturday. This solar eclipse will be visible to entire India as a partial eclipse and as an annular eclipse it will be visible to parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand, he said.
The eclipse would start at 10:20am and end around 2:20pm. An annular solar eclipse is a rare and spectacular event that can only be viewed along a relatively narrow strip on the earth’s surface. Sun is so bright that it is difficult to look at it directly and looking at it directly can cause permanent eye damage.
Looking at the sun during an eclipse is as dangerous as looking at it on an average day. Howsoever tempting it may be, it is not advisable to look at the sun directly during an eclipse. The safest way to view the Sun is by indirect projection. This must be done under the supervision of an expert. Never use a telescope or binoculars without appropriate protection to look at the Sun, it will damage your eyes. With the help of special eye protection, or using an indirect viewing method, observers in the line of totality can experience the “ring of fire” that is characteristic of an annular solar eclipse, he said.
Due to the lockdown there will be no special arrangement in planetarium. An online programme will be organised for people as it would be difficult to maintain social distancing due to large gatherings.
As per the forecast, there are little chances to see it in Odisha as the weather is cloudy. But one can see it once cloud disappears, he added.