Solar Eclipse In India Begins at Southernmost

Kanyakumari: The longest solar eclipse of the millennium has begun at 11.06 am in the southernmost tip of India. Thousands of people have gathered to witness the celestial spectacle. The solar eclipse is expected to reach the peak at 1.15 pm.

The district collector of Kanyakumari, Rajendra Ratnoo said, '"Television sets have been set up at the viewing center near the Public Works Department guest house. A telescope has been connected to a plasma TV for people to see." He also added more than 750 students from 25 states have gathered in Kanyakumari to view the celestial feat.

The center is deployed with 150 security personnel and about 15,000 people are expected to visit the center on Friday. There are seven telescopes set up and facilities are provided to view the eclipse through a pin hole and mirror projection.

If you are still not aware of the solar eclipse, let's go through a quick update. The solar eclipse today is the annular solar eclipse, that is the longest solar eclipse of the century. It is, however, different from the total solar eclipse as it will not have a diamond ring. This solar eclipse will however boast of a gold ring around the Sun as the Moon would be too distant from the Earth and won't be able to cover the Sun completely. It will last for about 10.4 minutes. In case you are somewhere in the Indian Ocean, you can view if for about 11 minutes, 7 seconds.

The visibility of the solar eclipse is more in Tamil Nadu than in other parts of the country. Also, the visibility is longer in Rameshwaram and Danushkodi. This rare phenomenon has invited many scientists and common people to witness and study the longest solar eclipse of 2010 at Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram and nearby Danushkodi.