Cloudy skies and dense fog in various parts of the national capital deprived people of the view of the annular solar eclipse on Thursday morning.
Delhiites yearning for a view of the celestial spectacle woke up to thick fog with a visibility range of about 700 meters at 0830 Hours IST, which robbed them of a momentous glimpse of the solar eclipse – which started from 0817 Hrs IST and lasted till 1057 Hrs.
The Partial solar eclipse was to be visible in India along with several other countries on Thursday, especially the ''ring of fire'' phenomenon in some parts when the Sun was covered by the Moon with just the Sun's outer edge left visible, thus resembling a fiery ring.
The phenomenon was more visible from southern parts of the country. However, similar weather conditions were a wet blanket on the occasion.
“The Solar eclipse began at 8.06 am over the state and will last for around three hours till 11.11 am. It is clearly visible in the coastal and northern areas of the state, while a cloudy sky is hiding the celestial event in Bengaluru and southern region,” Pramod Galgali, Director of the state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium Director told reporters here.
Numerous sky gazers, astronomers and astrophysicists who gathered at the Planetarium in India’s Karnataka state to witness the celestial event, had to wait for the clouds to clear.
In India’s western Maharashtra state, people woke up to thick fog and the cover of clouds looming over the city of Mumbai and preventing them from viewing the phenomenon.
Religious Significance
In India, Solar Eclipses hold religious significance when they fall on a no-moon day or an Amavasya, during this time, people take dips in holy rivers and ponds and perform religious rituals.
