BHUBANESWAR: Cloudy skies prevented astronomy enthusiasts from viewing the partial solar eclipse in several places in Odisha. The celestial event began at about 10.15 am on Sunday.
The solar eclipse started in Khurda district at 10.37 am and in Cuttack district at 10.38 am. It began at 10.25 am in Malkangiri, 10.26 am in Nabarangpur, 10.27 am in Nuapada and 10.28 am in Koraput. The eclipse will end at 2.13 pm.
“Many parts of Odisha experience cloudy skies and people are not able to view the partial solar eclipse. However, they can view it via various online sites,” Pathani Samanta Planetarium Deputy Director, Dr Subhendu Pattnaik said.
The eclipse was visible at Bhadrak and its nearby areas due to clear weather. Pattnaik requested the astronomy enthusiasts to not view the partial solar eclipse with the naked eye.
According to the planetarium authority, maximum eclipse in Sundargarh district was witnessed at about 12.20 pm, in Khurda district at around 12:25 pm and in Cuttack district at 12.26 pm.
The ring of fire will be seen during the peak eclipse phase across a corridor running through Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttarakhand.
A solar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the moon comes between the sun and the earth thereby fully or partially blocking the sun's rays reaching the earth's surface.
The distance between the earth and the moon at the moment of the eclipse dictates the type of eclipse that takes place.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said cloudy condition is expected to prevail in many parts of the State on the day.