Jul
22
Did you see it today?
If you happen to be in China or India today, most probably you had the opportunity to witness the longest solar eclipse of the century. Lasting six minutes and 39 seconds, it would be visible across Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
Totality was visible in many large cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Varanasi, Patna, Gaya, Dinajpur, Siliguri, Tawang, Guwahati, Chengdu, Nanchong, Chongqing, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huanggang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam. According to some experts, Taregana in Bihar, India was expected to be the “best” place to view the event.
The eclipse was part of Saros series 136, as was the record-setting solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. The next event from this series will be on August 2, 2027.
Let’s see the photos that I liked most on today’s Total Eclipse :
The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century began in India on July 22, sweeping east across China and into the Pacific Ocean. A view of the eclipse from Chongqing, China, at 9:16 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
These ladies in Taiyuan, the capital of China's Shanxi Province, used welding masks to watch the eclipse.
I like the welding mask used by these ladies. Besides protecting their eyes, they will not suffer sun burn too.
The total solar eclipse darkened the skies in Chongqing, China.
Thousands of people gathered for a dip in the Yamuna River in Mathura, India, pictured, and the Ganges after the solar eclipse. Amid chanting of Hindu hymns, men, women and children waded into the river and prayed to the sun as it emerged.
Well, in case you do not know why this happen,see this:
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.
While most of us know many sightings in these affected places, do you know that the animals in these places also behaved strangely during the moment?
When birds stopped chirping and tigers slept
July 22nd, 2009 – 6:10 pm
Lions and tigers retired to sleep, deer stood still, birds suddenly stopped chirping while young animals rushed back to their shelters – no this is not a scene from “The Jungle Book”, but unusual behaviour shown by animals during the total solar eclipse on Wednesday morning.
These changes in behaviour in animals and birds were recorded by experts at the Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh during the celestial spectacle.
It is for the first time in the country that a step has been initiated to study animal behaviour during a solar eclipse. And much to our amazement, many animals behaved unusually – some got very dull while some were hyper-active as the sky darkened on Wednesday morning.
The experts found that the tigers, lions and panthers retired to sleep as the sun was completely obscured by the moon. They became very dull while some nocturnal animals like bears got hyper-active.
Herbivorous animals like deer and sambar also behaved strangely. These animals generally graze separately during the day, suddenly came together in a herd and stood stationary during the eclipse. Even the birds that were chirping since dawn suddenly quietened between 6.20 and 6.30 a.m.
It was also observed that the behaviour of young animals most unusual as they usually set out of their night shelters early morning and return only at night. But during the total eclipse all of them came running back and hid inside their shelters.
According to the experts, the body clock of animals and birds is generally regulated by sunrise and sunset and they were bound to show some reaction during the eclipse.
There was no changes in the behaviour of animals prior to the eclipse and they were normal before the astronomical event.
Source: IHT & IANS
“It is for the first time in the country that a step has been initiated to study animal behaviour during a solar eclipse. And much to our amazement, many animals behaved unusually – some got very dull while some were hyper-active as the sky darkened Wednesday morning,” S.S. Rajput, director of the Van Vihar National Park, told IANS over telephone from Bhopal.
The national park had formed 23 teams to study various animals and birds during the period of solar eclipse.
“Our experts found that the tigers, lions and panthers retired to sleep as the sun was completely obscured by the moon. They became very dull while some nocturnal animals like bears got hyper-active,” said Rajput.
Herbivorous animals like deer and sambar also behaved strangely.
“Herbivorous animals, who generally graze separately during the day, suddenly came together in a herd and stood stationary during the eclipse. Even the birds that were chirping since dawn suddenly quietened between 6.20 and 6.30 a.m.,” Rajput observed.
Except peacocks and lapwings, all other birds were silent throughout the totality phase.
“We found the behaviour of young animals most unusual as they usually set out of their night shelters early morning and return only at night. But during the total eclipse all of them came running back and hid inside their shelters,” he said.
According to Rajput, the body clock of animals and birds is generally regulated by sunrise and sunset and they were bound to show some reaction during the eclipse.
The experts, including zoo keepers, studied the animals for seven days July 15-21 during a fixed time to know their normal day-to-day behaviour.
“We studied their behaviour during the same timings Wednesday and analysed the behavioural changes before and during the eclipse. We are yet to compile a detailed data but surely animals react to such changes,” said Rajput.
The national park is spread across 1,100 acres and houses several species of animals.
Explaining the importance of the study, Rajput said: “The study will provide us data about how animals react to such natural phenomenon and its harmful impact, if any, on them besides the rise in anxiety levels and curiosity.”
According to him, none of the animals had any intuition about the eclipse, which is not the case during a tsunami or an earthquake.
“We found no changes in the behaviour of animals prior to the eclipse and they were normal before the astronomical event,” he said.
