Bhubaneswar: While the whole country is super excited to celebrate Diwali after a two-year gap due to the COVID restrictions, the second and last ‘surya grahan’ (solar eclipse) of this year will be taking place on the same day.
The solar eclipse is coinciding with the festival of lights Diwali after a gap of 27 years.
“The phenomenon will occur for only 20 minutes in Bhubaneswar on October 25,” Deputy Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium Subhendu Pattnaik told Odisha Bytes.
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the Sun and the Earth but the three don’t align in a perfectly straight line. It will begin in Iceland at around 2.29 pm and will be seen at its maximum from Russia at 4.30 pm. It will end at around 6.32 pm over the Arabian Sea and will be visible mainly from parts of Europe, North-East Africa, and West Asia.
“Only 12% of the sun will be visible to the capital city. The citizens of Odisha’s capital city can witness the eclipse from 4.56 pm to 5.16 pm,” he said.
Pattnaik further said that it will be difficult to clearly see the eclipse after sunset. “There is no danger in viewing the sun undergoing this process but people should not look at the eclipse with naked eyes and instead use solar spectacles,” he said.
No arrangements have been made at the planetarium this year in view of the Diwali, he added.
From not cooking and eating food, not sleeping during an eclipse, putting basil leaves in water and food, to taking a bath once it ends, Pattnaik suggested that people should avoid such superstitions during ‘surya grahan’ as it is a complete scientific phenomenon. “Solar eclipse is a play of light and shadow by the sun and earth,” he said.
He further added that the people of Odisha will be celebrating Diwali on October 24.
Meanwhile, the rituals of deities in Puri Jagannath temple have also been rescheduled. Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has also issued a notification stating that the morning rituals of sibling deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra will be preponed. The partial solar eclipse will be visible for 16 minutes and 26 seconds in Puri.
Also read: Rituals In Jagannath Temple Of Odisha’s Puri Rescheduled For Solar Eclipse; Know Revised Timings
