Skygazers get an eyeful of partial solar eclipse

Coimbatore: Denizens had no other option but to watch the partial solar eclipse from their homes on Sunday as no arrangements were made for public due to the pandemic situation.
District science officer J R Pazhaniswami said the city witnessed 30% eclipse from 10.12am to 1.23pm. The greatest eclipse occurred at 11.43am.
Though it was an annular eclipse, the state witnessed only a partial eclipse. “The annularity was seen only in the northern parts of the country, such as Rajasthan and Haryana. We could witness partly-eclipsed crescent of the sun,” Pazhaniswami said.
The city was to witness an annular solar eclipse on 26 December last year. But as cloudy weather played spoilsport, those who were eager to observe the phenomenon were disappointed. They found compensation in Sunday’s eclipse. Most of them used the solar filters they had bought in December to witness the cosmic event. Some residents’ associations had set up telescopes in their localities for the benefit of skygazers.
Informal groups of residents came together at places such as Edayarpalayam to witness the eclipse. A young married couple said they wanted to show their three-year old son the annular solar eclipse in December, but couldn’t as it lasted for mere seconds due to bad weather. “We used the solar filters we had collected in December to witness Sunday’s eclipse. Our son was excited to see the crescent shape of the sun,” the man said.
The next annular eclipse will be visible in the state only in May 2031, Pazhaniswami added.