India
oi-Prakash KL
New Delhi, Oct 25: India will witness the last ‘Surya Grahan’ of 2022 on Tuesday which will be visible from most parts of the country. It will be a partial solar eclipse.
The eastern metropolis, however, will be able to witness the partial solar eclipse, the second in 2022, for a very small duration, the celestial phenomenon will be better observed in the northern and western regions of the country, astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari said.
The eclipse will not be observed from north eastern India as the celestial phenomenon will be occurring after the sunset in those regions.
Apart from India, the October 25-partial cosmic affair will be visible from most parts of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Duari elaborated.
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“The partial solar eclipse will begin in Iceland at around 14:29 hours IST and will be seen at its maximum from Russia at 16:30 hours (IST). It will end at around 18:32 hours (IST) over the Arabian Sea,” he told PTI while sharing information on the celestial event.
“The eastern part of the country will see the partial eclipse only marginally, that also during the sunset. The northern and western part of the country is a better location to observe the partial eclipse with a better view and for a longer period of time.
“During the new moon (Amavasya) the Sun, Moon and Earth almost come in a linear configuration, whereby from earth we can see the moon without any sunlight falling on it. But at times, as on October 25, the Sun, Moon and Earth will almost be on the same plane resulting in the moon appearing to cover the Sun partially for a period of time causing a partial Solar Eclipse,” he explained.
In and around the metropolis, the partial eclipse will begin at around 16:52 hours, the maximum occurring at 17:01 hours, and will cease to be seen at 17:03 hours at the sunset, Duari said.
Why Tulsi is put in food or eatables during solar eclipse?
Among the many dos’ and don’ts, there is a practice among the Hindus to put basil or Tulsi leaves on food. It is because foods get contaminated during eclipse and eating them is not healthy. There is a belief that consuming them can lead to short term and long term health issues. Hence, Hindus believe that the sacred basil leaves, which has several medicinal properties, can eliminate the effect of ultraviolet rays emitted during an eclipse and keep the food safe.
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Also, Tulsi purest of pure which never gets contaminated. Hence, it is put on eatables. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove the claims or beliefs.
Story first published: Tuesday, October 25, 2022, 12:55 [IST]