Partial solar eclipse today — when to watch and which Indian cities will witness it

The eclipse is visible for most people across the country, provided visibility is clear, and should be viewed only with safe solar viewing glasses or handheld viewers.

A file photo of partial solar eclipse | Commons

Bengaluru: A day after Diwali, people in India will witness a partial solar eclipse. The eclipse is also visible to people living in other Asian countries, Western Siberia, Europe, and northeast Africa. The peak of the eclipse will occur between 1100 UTC (1630 IST) and 1302 UTC (1832 IST) over Russia.

The eclipse is visible for most people across the country provided visibility is clear. It will be visible easily but should be viewed only through safe solar viewing glasses or handheld viewers. The sun should not be looked at directly with the naked eye or through sunglasses, camera lenses, telescopes or binoculars. Specialized glasses use special-purpose filters to protect the eyes.

Alternatively, the eclipse can be viewed indirectly by casting its image through a pinhole projector. A simple one can be made using two plain sheets of paper. Make a tiny hole in the middle of one using a pin to hold it up towards the sun, and hold the other sheet at a distance as a screen.

Credit: timeanddate.com

Here’s when to watch the eclipse across the country, according to timeanddate.com.

• Kolkata 16:52 to 17:03 (maximum at 17:01)
• Bhubaneshwar 16:56 to 17:16 (maximum at 17:13)
• Chennai 17:14 to 17:44 (maximum at 17:42)
• New Delhi 16:29 to 17:42 (maximum at 17:30)
• Bengaluru 17:12 to 17:55 (maximum at 17.49)
• Mumbai 16:49 to 18:09 (maximum at 17:42)
• Srinagar 16:14 to 17:45 (maximum at 17:20)
• Ahmedabad 16:38 to 18:06 (maximum at 17:37)
• Lakshadweep 17:16 to 18:17 (maximum at 17:52)

The eclipse will not be visible over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as all of the northeastern states.

Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and casts a shadow on Earth.

Although eclipses in mythology and astrology are associated with negative superstitions, they are perfectly safe for humans and life and do not affect us in any way scientifically known.

There is another eclipse this year although it would not be visible from India. On the night of the 7th of November, there will be a total lunar eclipse visible over Russia, Alaska, Northwest Canada and Greenland.