Solar Eclipse 2019: PM Modi shared images on his official Twitter handle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he was enthusiastic "like many Indians" to witness the annular solar eclipse but he could not see the sun due to "cloud cover", adding that he "did catch glimpses of the eclipse" in Kerala's Kozhikode on live-stream. Thick fog blocked view of the much-awaited spectacle in several parts of Delhi this morning.
"Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019," PM Modi tweeted this morning. "Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts," he added.
PM Modi shared several pictures on Twitter where he is looking at the sun and also interacting with experts. He also gave a cheeky reply to one of the tweets.
There are three types of solar eclipse - total, partial and annular. An annular solar eclipse takes place when the moon's apparent diameter is smaller than that of the sun's, blocking most of the sun's light. This causes the sun to look like a "ring of fire". Today's was the third eclipse of the year and decade's last.
In India, the rare celestial spectacle was first viewed from Chervathur in Kerala. People from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were also able to see the annular solar eclipse, while the rest of the country could see a partial solar eclipse. The annular solar eclipse in Kerala began at around 8 this morning and lasted till about 11.15 am.
Besides India, the eclipse was visible in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Riyadh was the first one across the world to witness the rare spectacle.