On board eclipse cruise, Indian Ocean:
On January 15 this year, the world will witness a rare celestial phenomena - the annular solar eclipse - when the Sun will appear to be like the Ring of Fire.
NDTV takes you on board India's first eclipse cruise in the middle of Indian Ocean to witness longest annular eclipse of the millennium.
On board are astronomers from the science communication organisation (SPACE), photographers and tourists - all of whom want to make history by being part of the country's first eclipse cruise and to see the rare moment.
On Thursday, a day before the celestial phenomena, it was all about the preparations and workshops to ensure that people know the best and safest way to view the eclipse and even capture it on cameras.
Finally around noon, which is around the same time on Friday that people aboard will get to see the eclipse, the astronomers on board decided to do a dry run.
The telescopes are set and tested and filters have come out to be used with the cameras to capture a lifetime opportunity, and to cherish the experience.
For 1200 people on board, this astro-tourism would be a lifetime opportunity to witness the century's longest solar eclipse.