Solar eclipse reduced to digital viewing, thanks to COVID-19

Under normal circumstances, a solar eclipse is not only a carnival-like event, but it is also an opportunity for scientists to carry out outreach programmes.

“But clearly we are not living in normal circumstances,” explained Dr Annapurni, director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), as she revealed the rationale behind reducing Sunday’s solar eclipse — which is at 36% visibility in Bengaluru — to livestream feeds on the internet. “The decision was made with public safety in mind because of the pandemic.”

At the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in the city’s centre, which is often the public’s choice to witness celestial events, plans had been made to restrict the number of visitors to just four children to observe the eclipse.

“But in the end, this idea too was dropped because it was risky,” said Dr B S Shylaja, a retired astrophysicist associated with the planetarium.

Dr Pramod Galgali, director of the planetarium, confirmed that no arrangements had been made for the public to come and witness the eclipse from the centre. “Normally, we get thousands of people arriving at our facility to view the eclipse, but that situation has changed,” Dr Galgali said. He added that the inability to host crowds was a missed opportunity to inform and educate the public about the eclipse and the scientific process of inquiry.

Dr Galgali, however, clarified that the drive and interest of the people in learning more about the eclipse had prompted at least 1,000 people to come to the planetarium until Friday to purchase the special eclipse goggles. “We will also be livestreaming the eclipse on our planetarium website, so that people do not miss out,” he added.

“We will be livestreaming the eclipse from our Hanle observatory in Leh, but viewers will have access to chat shows and talks by telescope engineers and scientists, explaining the eclipse and the science behind viewing eclipses,” Dr Annapurni said.

Last eclipse of the decade

Sunday’s eclipse will coincide with the longest day (summer solstice) of the year when the sun will be at the highest northernmost points in the sky. This will also be the first and the last solar eclipse to be observed from the Indian continent during this decade, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) said. The eclipse will take place from 10.15 am to 1.50 pm on June 21. IIA’s livestream of the eclipse can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/jmnj-k_mt2Q