‘Unfortunately, couldn’t see the sun’: PM Modi blames clouds for missing solar eclipse

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his enthusiasm about watching the solar eclipse, which is occurring today and is visible in parts of India. But, he said it was unfortunate that he couldn’t view the eclipse because of clouds.

“Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019. Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts,” he said on Twitter. 

Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019.

Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts. pic.twitter.com/EI1dcIWRIz

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 26, 2019

The eclipse, the last of this year, started at 8 am this morning and will last till 11 am. Parts of India, especially south India, are witnessing this celestial event.

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There is enthusiasm in Cheruvathur in north Kerala where scientists and students have gathered to see the “ring of fire”. The sun is visible as a golden ring from Chervathur.

Looking at the number of students who have gathered to witness the spectacle, some of the scientists told HT that such events will help inculcate scientific temperament among youngsters.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth.

This is the second solar eclipse of the century.

In the Indian sub-continent, the annularity phases will be seen within a narrow path grazing the southern Indian peninsula through Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu before crossing the Bay of Bengal for northern Sri Lanka.

Thursday’s eclipse will also be visible in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.