Free-D

Tourists flooded Eastern China, Japan, India and Nepal to see the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century, which lasted for 6 minutes 39 seconds and will not be surpassed in duration until 31st June 2132. This was the second in the series of three eclipses in a one-month period, being book-ended by two minor penumbral lunar eclipse, first on July 7 and last on August 6. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow began in India and crossed through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crossed Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and curved southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reached 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse was seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, which included most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

During the total solar eclipse, the Sun was in western Cancer near its border with Gemini. Three or four naked-eye planets and a number of bright stars were visible during totality. The brightest and most conspicuous planet was Venus located in Taurus about 41° west of the Sun. Mercury 9° east of the Sun was also easy to spot, although, Mars was considerably fainter 12° west of Venus and 52° west the Sun. A number of bright winter constellation stars were visible during the eerie twilight of totality.

Amateur and professional astronomers eagerly grasped the opportunity to observe and record this fantastic natural phenomenon and the clips of it are available on internet. In India thousands of pilgrims gathered on the banks of the Ganges River to experience the eclipse as a religious or spiritual event. Some people expected that there would be a relationship, either positive or negative, between their health and the occurrence of the eclipse. In Hinduism the cause of the eclipses is ascribed to a demon, called Svarbhanu, striking the Sun with darkness. When the gods could not discern the Sun (hidden as it was by darkness), they invoked Rishi Atri who repelled its darkness by chanting Rik mantras (Rigveda 5.40.5-6). In the original version of the Valmiki Ramayana, a vivid description of a total solar eclipse is given in the first fifteen slokas of the twenty-third sarga of the Aranyakandam, but there is indeed a mention of Rahu as the cause. The description, which appears in the context of a ravaging war between Khara and Lord Rama is worth quoting:

In the proximity of the Sun there appeared a dark reddish disc; at an odd hour of the day the evening dusk approached at an extremely fast pace to be followed by a sudden nightfall; nothing could be discerned anymore; the birds and the animals became awestricken and started howling at the top of their voice; the Sun was totally engulfed by Rahu and appeared to be totally dull, but a big halo was seen around the dark disc of the Sun; some stars and planets became visible….

However, the Chinese government used the opportunity to provide scientific education and to dispel any superstition. During the eclipse, Chinese scientists studied the sun’s chromospheres and corona, and the gravity variations of the solar system’s planets. Observers in Japan were excited by the prospect of experiencing the first eclipse in 46 years, but found the experience dampened by cloudy skies obscuring the view.