On Sunday, thousand of Mumbaikars woke up to witness the year's first and the decade's last solar eclipse amid the COVID-19 crisis. Armed with sunglasses, and X-rays, people from differet age groups were seen curiosuly waiting to get a glimpse of the 'ring of fire' in Mumbai. See photos. (All photos/Pradeep Dhivar, Ashish Rane, Sameer Markande, Bipin Kokate, Atul Kamble, Satej Shinde)
Updated On: 2020-06-22 09:00 AM IST
The first solar eclipse of the year, which took place on the summer solstice - the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere was visible from Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, parts of Europe and Australia.
On Sunday, people in Mumbai and Delhi woke up to see the solar eclipse partially, which was visible until 3.04 pm with the maximum eclipse taking place at 12:10 pm IST. The solar eclipse was an important significance considering the fact that the it was the last eclipse to be seen from India for the next 28 months.
In photo: A mother covers her child with a dupatta to protect from the sun's rays during the annual solar eclipse in Bandra.
Beginning 10.15 am, the solar eclipse was visible till 2.45 pm in Mumbai. People across different age groups were seen at places including Chembur, Powai, South Mumbai and Bandra to get a glimpse of the last solar eclipse of the decade.
The first solar eclipse of the year, which is also known as the 'ring of fire' was seen in different parts of the country. Dr N Rathnasree, Director of Nehru Planetarium said that the solar eclipse could help scientists understand the topology of the moon through pictures.
In photo: A family caught in a candid moment as they attempt to view the last solar eclipse of the decade from their residence in Powai.
In Abu Dhabi, the solar eclipse was seen in its maximum phase and lasted for less than 30 seconds. In India, the solar eclipse was seen with maximum visibility in places including Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Haryana. While at places such as Kerala and Mumbai, it was a partial solar eclipse.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the apparent size of the moon is only slightly less than the Sun's - or the Moon almost covers the Sun - leaving only the outer rim of the Sun uncovered, and hence giving the appearance of a "ring of fire" or as a necklace of pearls.
In photo: A father helps his son observe the annual solar eclipse at Hiranandani in Powai.
This year, the 'ring of fire' was very thin, as the moon covered over 98.8 per cent of the Sun, making it the deepest annular eclipse of the century in India.
In a tweet, Press Information Bureau said that it is the last annular solar eclipse in India of this decade. While the solar eclipse was the third eclipse this year after India witnessed two lunar eclipses which took place in January and June. There are three types of solar eclipses - total, partial, and annular.
In photo: People try to see the annual solar eclipse from the naked eye at Mira Bhayandar.
Amid the Solar Eclipse event and celebrations of Father's day, Ganesh Idol makers in South Mumbai's Girgaon area were snapped by mid-day lens as they gave final touches to Ganpati idols ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in the city.
