New Delhi, June 15: Come July, star gazers will be in for a treat — a total solar eclipse that will remain unsurpassed in duration for the next 123 years.
And in addition to it, they will also witness a lunar eclipse in the same month.
A total eclipse of the sun will be visible on July 22 from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of the Earth starting in India and crossing 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.
Its duration will total 6 minutes and 39 seconds, making it the longest solar eclipse to occur in the 21st century and it will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132, astronomers said.
A penumbral eclipse of the moon will slightly dim the earth’s only natural satellite on July 7. It will not be visible to naked eyes as the magnitude will be 0.156.
It will be the second of four lunar eclipses in 2009. This eclipse will only enter the southern most tip of the penumbral shadow and thus will be very difficult to observe visually.
–Agencies