C'garh:Cloudy skies hamper clear view of partial solar eclipse

He said the complete "ring of fire", which is part of an annular solar eclipse, was not visible in Raipur. In view of coronavirus lockdown, no joint sessions were organised this time for viewing the celestial event, Chakradhari said.

A partial solar eclipse was seen in Chhattisgarh on Sunday but a clear view was blocked by cloudy skies and rains in parts of the state. The complete "ring of fire" was not visible in Raipur during the eclipse period from 10.24 am to 1.58 pm.

"A partial solar eclipse with 70 per cent visibility was seen in Raipur and in many cities of the state, whereas full eclipse was visible in the northern part of the country," Senior Assistant Professor, department of Astrophysics at Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Dr NK Chakradhari told PTI. He said the complete "ring of fire", which is part of an annular solar eclipse, was not visible in Raipur.

In view of coronavirus lockdown, no joint sessions were organised this time for viewing the celestial event, Chakradhari said. He said solar filter glasses were provided to astronomy enthusiasts and students in Raipur for viewing the eclipse.

"However, cloudy weather conditions and rainfall in some parts of the state, particularly in the south (Bastar region), hampered a clear view of the eclipse for sky gazers," Chakradhari said. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the angular diameter of the Moon falls short of that of the Sun so that it cannot cover up the latter completely. As a result, a ring of the Sun's disk remains visible around the Moon. This gives an image of a ring of fire.

Meanwhile, several people from Raipur and surrounding areas performed rituals during the eclipse. Anti-superstition activist Dr Dinesh Mishra said myths like confining oneself to his house during the eclipse and not eating food etc have no scientific basis.

"We tried to make people aware through digital platforms this time that it is a celestial event and should not be linked with any superstition," said Mishra..