The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, and be visible from a narrow corridor through Northern India, Eastern Nepal, Northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Northern tip of Myanmar, Central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati. People in this place are really gifted with an opportunity to watch this celestial event.
NASA had the following to say about this eclipse – “On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s.“
Unfortunately if you are out of this region, the only way to watch this is to travel to one of these areas, or simply watch clips of it on the internet. Scientists from various institutes have already tented in those regions to conduct scientific experiments on that day. As a normal person, you could watch night in the day time and the diamond ring effect that occurs when the sun disappears or just after it emerges from behind the moon.
Apart from watching the celestial event for 6 minutes you can extend your joy by visiting tourist spots around the region. Many travel agencies have come up with special travel packages covering tourist spots either in China or India that allow people to enjoy tourist spots without missing the eclipse.
If you opt to visit eclipse in China, then you could visit some tourist destinations like Shangai, Beijing, Chengdu (Giant Panda research center, the Sanxingdui Museum) and Leshan (Giant Budha, Mt.Emei). In India, the tourist spots like Red Fort, Raj Ghat, Ashoka Pillar and the bustling Chandni Chowk bazaar in Delhi, the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Kandariya Mahadev Temple in Khajuraho and ancient temples in Varanasi can be covered.
An ideal package is the Eclipse Flight which is jointly organized under the technical guidance of Eclipse Chasers Athenaeum (ECa), the eclipse sphere of SPACE, & Cox and Kings. By booking an eclipse flight ticket, you can see this celestial event at 41,000 feet flying high above the thick Indian monsoon clouds.
The next Total Eclipse of longer duration will be visible only after 123 years, so don’t miss this golden opportunity.
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