Govind S. Poteker
Stargazers and other enthusiasts in Goa patiently awaited their glimpse of the regular astronomical phenomenon - the Partial Solar Eclipse (PSE) on March 19. It looked like any normal eclipse but what was in store for the amateurs was something out of this world. The uniqueness of the eclipse was that the Sun rose in the morning although the eclipse began at 6:08am. The sudden climatic change a day before the eclipse brought about the fear that the eclipse would be missed due to cloudy weather, but fortunately, that didn’t happen and the event was a great success.
"A faint disc of the eclipsed Sun was sighted at about 6:54am," informed a delightful Rakesh Rao, member of the Association of Friends of Astronomy, who observed it from the Public Astronomical Observatory (PAO) at Junta House in Panaji.
For Rakesh, his colleagues and the people who visited the observatory in the morning to view the eclipse, it was a day to remember as it happened on Gudi Padva, the Hindu New Year day.
Observing a crescent moon is quite a common sight in the night sky, but on that day, the Sun was a big crescent, as thought someone bit off a chunk of it. Rao further informed that it was an awesome sight in the morning sky as the Sun’s red disc rose higher above the horizon, it appeared brighter and clearer. Many have observed a PSE in the past, but watching the eclipsed Sun with its disc partially covered by the moon without proper solar filters was a truly unique experience. In the normal course, the solar eclipse is never observed directly with any optical instrument unless suitable filters are used otherwise ultraviolet and infrared, besides the heat radiation of the Sun, can permanently damage one’s eyesight.
Rao feels that eclipses and comets appearing in the sky are still considered bad omens with these events often linked to catastrophic happenings. Though this has no scientific basis, it often hinders with really appreciating this phenomenon.
Whenever any astronomical phenomenon takes place, the PAOs in Panaji and Margao are kept open to the public no matter what time the event is occurring. Though quite a bit of publicity was given, not many showed any interest towards nature’s beautiful event, despite having an astronomical observatory in their own city. Students and people in Goa may not take much interest in astronomy but such facilities have worked wonders for our tourism industry. Its sad for those who missed this great experience as the next partial solar eclipse will be visible for viewers in the North-East and the Andamans only on September 11, 2007.
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