n June 21, people are going to witness an annular solar eclipse or commonly known as Surya Grahan. It is said that the solar eclipse will start at 10.23 am and last till 1.48 pm and it will be 95 per cent around noon. For the unversed, a solar eclipse is witnessed when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow on Earth. As people are gearing up to see the celestial event tomorrow, we hear that people are going to witness another celestial event on the very same day and that is ‘Summer Solstice.’ That’s right. According to a report in Business Insider, the ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse and the longest day of summer — the summer solstice are set to happen on the same day.
It is said that the last time this happened was on 21 June 2001 and before that happened in 1982 and after that, this is the first time that the annular solar eclipse and the summer solstice are going to fall on the same day in 19 years. Adding more information, the next time you will witness these two events coincide is on June 21, 2039. Well, that’s quite far, for now, so don’t miss the event tomorrow. The portal further mentioned that solstice summer eclipse doesn’t need a new moon, the thing that is required is the Moon to be in perfect alignment between the Earth and the Sun, effectively blocking the Sun’s rays from reaching the Earth’s surface.
Talking about the same, we also reported that Himachal Pradesh is popularising the solar eclipse by arranging its viewing in the state capital. It will be arranged by the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE), amidst the Unlock 1. HIMCOSTE aims to remove the misconceptions and superstitions associated with these celestial events, claimed an IANS report.
Image source: allevents.in