Just five months after a rare astronomical treat, Coimbatore is gearing up for one more: an annular solar eclipse on June 21. However this will only be partially visible from Coimbatore and the ring of fire will not be visible here, says Obuli Chandran, science educator and co-founder of Mango Education. What makes this special, he continues, is that “this is the last annular solar eclipse of this decade that will be visible from India. The next annular solar eclipse visible from India will occur on 21st May 2031. But that is 11 years away.”
Obuli goes on to list the reasons why this eclipse is more special than the December 26, 2019, one. “Last time the sun was eclipsed by around 93%. This time it will be 99%, so the ring will be much thinner; possibly one of the thinnest annular solar eclipses. Had the moon been a little closer to earth, we may have witnessed a total solar eclipse.” And then of course, June 21 happens to be summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. “Such occurrences are rare, and the next such one is only in 2039.”
This eclipse will be visible from across the country “although the ring of fire spectacle is reserved for people living along a narrow stretch of northern India — Suratgarh, Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Dehradun and other places along this stretch.” Depending on which part of the country one lives in, “varying percentages of the sun will be eclipsed by the moon. For example, in Coimbatore it will be 30% and 36% as seen from Bengaluru. Maximum eclipse will be along the stretch mentioned earlier.”
Luckily India falls within the shadow of the moon, which is one of the conditions to be able to watch a solar eclipse. Obuli is hoping that the weather will cooperate, given that it is monsoon season, and allow Coimbatoreans to witness the spectacle. He reiterates the warning never to watch a solar spectacle with the naked eye and to use an approved solar glass and rues the fact the astronomy lovers in the city cannot gather to enjoy this spectacle due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Obuli waxes eloquent on solar eclipses and says all kinds are spectacular, “though some are more spectacular than others. The ambient light dimming because of the sun’s eclipse will be quite an experience for those in the path of the annularity. This is the closest we get to a total solar eclipse for several decades to come.”
In Coimbatore, solar glassses are available at Murugesh Skypoint Apparatus (9443077948) and at Mango Education (9952243541). One pair costs ₹100.
