Pune will witness only a partial eclipse but for over 227 minutes, the longest duration ever; the ultraviolet and infrared rays will be far stronger and harmful to view by the naked eye, say astro-scientists
Pune will witness only a partial eclipse but for over 227 minutes, the longest duration ever; the ultraviolet and infrared rays will be far stronger and harmful to view by the naked eye, say astro-scientists
Pune's solar journey on January 15 is going to last exactly 100 minutes longer than Star Trek, the movie, which plays on screen for 127 minutes. This may not necessarily be a good thing.
Puneites either have to keep their eyes rooted to the ground or reach out for solar glasses for all of the 227 minutes between 11.17 am and 3.07 pm. It is the longest eclipse in the last 40 years.
"If you are trying to catch the spectacle with bare eyes or through binoculars, you may end up burning your retina or even losing eyesight," said Dr Prakash Tupe, au00a0 noted astro-scientist.
"During the last solar eclipse on October 24, 1995 u00e2u0080u0094 which lasted for 150 minutes u00e2u0080u0094 more than 200 people damaged their eyes trying to be adventurous," he added.
Harmful rays
Moreover, the last eclipse happened in the morning, while the current one will play out in the afternoon, which is more dangerous because the harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays are far stronger.
Enthusiasts will gather at Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram on January 15 to view the rare spectacle of the annular solar eclipse. Pune will witness only a partial eclipse, but for much longer than, for instance, Kanyakumari, where the phenomenon will last for just 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
Traditionally, one caught the pin-hole image of the solar eclipse with a cardboard sheet. "But seeing the sun gradually eclipse in the sky is much more exciting than seeing it using such indirect methods," said Tupe.
Astronomers' associations like Jyotirvidya Parisanstha are spreading the same message before it will be too late.
Save the eyes
Secretary of the organisation Dr Deepak Joshi said black glasses, photo negatives, X-ray films may make it possible to take a look at the sun during the solar eclipse as they reduce sun's intensity.
"But even these are not enough to stop the transmission of ultraviolet or infrared rays, which can cause serious injury to the eye," he said.
Eye specialist Dr Anil Paranjpye, who treated five teenage boys suffering serious eye burns after the 1995 solar eclipse, said, "I hope no such case comes to me. The side effects start to show after an hour of watching the eclipse with bare eyes or binoculars."
Victims experience profuse tears, burning of the eyes to the point that some can't even open them.
Solar glasses
Suyash Dake, who has been developing safe solar filters for the last 15 years, said he had made goggles that reduce solar intensity by more than 1,00,000 times. Dake is the director of Third Wave Scientific Products Pvt Ltd.
"The new development in the goggles is that we have used a mylar film with a silver coating and ditanium di-oxide, which locks the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum of the sun," Dake said.
Tested at IIT
The goggles have been tested by Filmetrix in California and IIT-Chennai. Agarwal Eye Hospital has also approved the goggles, Dake added.
Arvind Paranjpye, a scientific officer with Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, said people should not pay heed to the age-old belief that it was safe to watch the reflection of the eclipse in water. "I recommend using either welding glasses or the specially-made solar glasses," he suggested.
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