Solar Eclipse 2020: Live Updates

Solar Eclipse 2020 marks one of only 5 such instances where a maximum solar eclipse will be visible for India in the next 100 years. The annular belt of the eclipse in India passes through cities like Joshimath and Dehradun in Uttrakhand, Sirsa in Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, but the eclipse can be seen from various other cities.

What is Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse is witnessed when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. During the Surya Grahan phenomenon, the image of the Sun is totally or partly obscured. In case of an annual solar eclipse, the moon's apparent diameter is smaller than that of the Sun. The phenomenon also blocks most of the sunlight, causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. 

Watch Live Updates Here

08:26 am: This is what happens in Solar Eclipse 

08:19 am: Timings for Solar Eclipse in Indian cities

• Kolkata -- 10:46 am to 2:17 pm
• New Delhi -- 10:20 am to 1:48 pm
• Mumbai -- 10:00 am to 1:27 pm
• Chennai -- 10:22 am to 1:41 pm 
• Bengaluru -- 10:13 to 1:31 pm 

08:16 am: The annular eclipse will first start for the people of Congo in Africa and progress through South Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the Indian Ocean and Pakistan, before entering India over Rajasthan, pass through parts of Haryana, Uttarkhand before moving on to Tibet, China, Taiwan, and end up in the Pacific Ocean near Guam. 

08:12 am: Rainfall has begun in Delhi, could hamper the visibility of the solar eclipse. 

07:46 am: The reason why people are advised not to watch the Solar Eclipse 2020 with naked eyes is that when the Moon in directly between the Earth and the Sun, the rays from the Sun that reach the Earth are more powerful and can permanently damage our retina (most important part of the eye). When the Sun comes from behind the Moon the rays can surprise you and penetrate your eyes before you have a chance to look away. 

This is even worse than when you normally look away from the sun because during the total eclipse, it is dark out, and your pupil, therefore, dilates so that it can let in enough light to get a good picture. Then, when the sun reappears and starts flooding the area with really bright light, not only are you staring straight at it, but your eye is in a state where it is wide open, and actively trying to let in as much light as possible.

07:21 am: IMD predicts rains across several parts of North India, which might hamper the view of the annular solar eclipse at some places.

7:09 am: Nasa tweeted about the solar eclipse late last night

There’s a lot to spot in the sky this month. Turn an eye upwards to find:

☀️ The Northern Hemisphere’s #SummerSolstice in full swing

✨ The Summer Triangle of stars in the East

🔭 Morning planetary views of Mars, Jupiter & Venus

And more! Look: https://t.co/tLRVmlD4UZ pic.twitter.com/jZzm9wCDME

— NASA (@NASA) June 20, 2020

Earth & the Moon are in a constant dance as they orbit the Sun. This weekend, they’ll create 2 special events.

🌻 Today marks the #SummerSolstice in the Northern Hemisphere
😎 Tomorrow an annular solar eclipse will be visible across Africa & Asia

More: https://t.co/e1KMaM4SEJ pic.twitter.com/unpDuF2vp9

— NASA (@NASA) June 20, 2020

06:42 am: Where in India will the Maximum Solar Eclipse be visible?

The rare eclipse on Sunday will be witnessed at its maximum from Joshimath—a city in Uttrakhand. The annularity belt of the eclipse—the region where the annular eclipse can be seen—will start from Rajasthan and pass through Haryana-Punjab-Uttarakhand. In addition to these places, Kurukshetra near New Delhi will also be able to witness the annularity. At the maximum time, nearly 98% of the solar disc would be occulted, which will lead to the formation of a Thin Ring of Fire in the sky. 

Major Cities:

• Joshimath - Uttarakhand
• Kurushetra - Haryana
• Sirsa - Haryana
• Suratgarh - Rajasthan
• Yamuna Nagar - Haryana
• Dehradun - Uttarakhand

Fight against Coronavirus: Full coverage