Partial solar eclipse in Delhi, but clouds play spoilsport

NEW DELHI - Delhi witnessed the year’s first partial solar eclipse Tuesday but cloudy skies prevented many people from having a clear view of the celestial spectacle.

The partial phase of the eclipse began in Delhi at 3.11 p.m. and ended at 3.52 p.m.

“The visibility was better initially, but because of the cloudy skies after a few minutes, the view was not very clear,” director of the Nehru Planetarium N. Ratnashree told IANS.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun and thereby obscures the Earth’s view of the sun totally or partially.

Although the day was cloudy, about 300 people, mainly students, gathered at the Nehru Planetarium to view the event.

“We had three telescopes in the planetarium, of which one was eye piece viewing with filters, while two other telescope were attached with projection,” Ratnashree said.

Scores of students and amateur astronomers gathered at the planetarium and wore filter goggles or peeped through the two large filter screens.

“It was a little disappointing that I was not able to see the start of the eclipse because of the clouds. But I am going to be here until the end so I am hoping the skies will clear by then,” said Ajay Sharma, a school student.

Bapita Das, a science teacher accompanying her students to the planetarium, said: “Its a rare opportunity to see a solar eclipse even if it is a partial one. Instead of just reading about it in books, watching the eclipse happen live is a great learning experience. So, we made a point that our school children should experience this.”

The Nehru Planetarium conducted a show on the moon’s transition before the actual eclipse, followed by a special session on the eclipse.