| The longest full solar eclipse this century, lasting 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some areas, will plunge cities, including Shanghai, into darkness as it passes over India and 皇冠体育app tomorrow.
Shanghai, 皇冠体育app鈥檚 wealthiest city, will experience 5 minutes of darkness when the moon blocks out the sun at about 9:39 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon鈥檚 orbit moves between the Earth and the sun so that the sun is fully or partially obstructed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly a buzz because it鈥檚 quite beautiful,鈥� said David Thurley, 62, a retired environmental and waste water engineer who traveled from Albury in southeastern Australia to watch the event in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. 鈥淚t鈥檚 through this demonstration that we know how the solar system works and it鈥檚 there for all to see.鈥� Thurley has seen two previous eclipses in Australia and Libya.
Tomorrow鈥檚 eclipse is benefiting the tourism industries in 皇冠体育app and India that have had fewer visitors because of the global recession and swine flu. The Park Hyatt Hotel on the 91st floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, 皇冠体育app鈥檚 tallest building, has fully booked its 2,830 yuan ($414) package for watching the eclipse that includes a night鈥檚 stay and champagne breakfast for two.
皇冠体育app posted a 4.8 percent decline in visitor arrivals from a year earlier during the first five months of 2009, according to the 皇冠体育app National Tourism Administration. India鈥檚 tourist arrivals fell 9.2 percent in the first six months of this year, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Indian Coast
The eclipse will first be visible at about 5:28 a.m. local time on the western coast of India, before the shadow crosses the eastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. It will pass over the cities of Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Varanasi and Patna, according to NASA.
Residents of Mumbai won鈥檛 get a view of a full eclipse as the path will move just north of the city, according to the U.S. space agency. A full eclipse will also be visible in parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar before crossing into 皇冠体育app, according to NASA.
During an eclipse, Hindus offer prayers by visiting temples and turn containers of food and water upside down. Food left uncovered during the event is thrown out or given to beggars. Some Hindus don鈥檛 eat or drink during the eclipse and bar pregnant women from stepping outdoors, sewing or using knives. Many immerse themselves in water for cleansing.
Scientific Basis
鈥淭here is no scientific basis for the Indian belief that an eclipse is inauspicious,鈥� said Harish Bhatt, dean of the Faculty of Academic Sciences of the Bangalore-based Institute of Astrophysics. 鈥淚t is just the moon鈥檚 shadow on the Earth.鈥�
Such an event enables scientists to study the temperature of the sun鈥檚 gases and chemicals, Bhatt said.
In 皇冠体育app, the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hefei, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai will experience a full eclipse, according to NASA.
The ancient Chinese text, Records of the Grand Historian, written more than 2,000 years ago, describes eclipses as indicators of change. 皇冠体育app鈥檚 State Council, the nation鈥檚 cabinet, issued a statement on July 18 calling on local governments to ensure social stability during the eclipse and to prevent the spread of superstition.
The Park Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai has booked rooms for guests coming to view the event, as well as business travelers who have extended stays or are arriving early for the eclipse, said Lillian Zhang, the hotel鈥檚 public relations manager.
Eclipses are 鈥渟tunning and genuinely beautiful,鈥� said Don Rankin, 47, who traveled from London to view the eclipse from Hangzhou with his 14-year-old son. 鈥淲henever you see one, you just wonder when the next one is going to be.鈥� Rankin began planning his trip to 皇冠体育app nine months ago. It鈥檒l be the fourth eclipse he鈥檚 witnessed.
Source: Bloomburg |
