IIT-K prepares for solar eclipse

KANPUR: The moon passing between the Sun and the Earth to create the longest total solar eclipse occurring today will only be surpassed in duration not before June 13, 2132.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the Sun and the Earth, blocking out the sun from the areas in the moon's shadow. Without the Sun's light, the sky darkens enough for stars to be seen and the corona makes a spectacular halo around the moon.
The Astronomy Club of IIT Kanpur has also geared up for capturing one of the rarest celestial activities of the century.A team of seven student amateur astronomers under the supervision of Karthik Vijayakumar, (Student Coordinator, Astronomy Club) has already left for Patna to view the total solar eclipse. The team has planned to capture the event form Taregana, a village 30 km off Patna. The village, which derives its name from 'tare ginna', the Hindi equivalent of counting of stars, is declared by NASA as the best spot for eclipse observation.
The students at IIT-K have also made necessary arrangements to view the total solar eclipse.
Ronak Shah, student coordinator of the Astronomy Club informed, "Though a team of seven has already left for Patna, it would be exciting even here in IIT-K as the astronomy enthusiasts on campus will gather at the air-strip on the dawn of 22nd to watch the eclipse. The club members have made arrangements of safety glasses to protect eyes of those who would be watching the event."
"The air-strip is arguably the best place on the campus with clear horizons but the monsoons can play spoilsport on the visibility of the eclipse. Since the two prime telescopes of the club are employed at Taregana, we can only manage to have one refractor telescope on the field and are expecting a huge turn out," said Shah while talking to TOI.
Shah also informed that the purpose of going to a place as far as Patna was that it would witness 100 per cent totality. The eclipse, however, would be visible from the whole of sub-continent, parts of China but they won't show 100 per cent totality. Kanpur has 95 per cent totality.
After the solar eclipse on July 22, the next one will be visible in the Indian sub-continent only 105 years later, on June 3, 2114.