Solar eclipse 2019: How the world saw the celestial spectacle

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A large number of onlookers gathered at several places across the country to behold the last celestial phenomenon of the decade. Partial phases of the annular solar eclipse could be viewed from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka. But the phenomenon was not just viewed in India but in several other countries. In India, a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to view the spectacle became the subject of a meme. Here's a list of countries that witnessed the last solar eclipse of the decade.

India

Prime Minister Modi was as excited about witnessing the eclipse and even tweeted about how he missed it due to the clouds but saw it on live stream.The solar eclipse in India was witnessed by states like Kerala,, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, began at around 8;17 am and continued till 10:57 am in the morning. The eclipse is also the last one of the decade.

Guam

The residents of Guam were invited at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort on December 26 to watch decade's last "ring of fire". The residents gathered at the resort with their protective glasses on to catch the best view of the eclipse.The annular solar eclipse which occurred in Hagatna, Guam began at 15:33 on Thursday i.e. December 26. The event ended by 6:01 pm in the evening.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the crowd gathered outside Jakarta Planetarium to watch the event using protective glasses. The annular solar eclipse was visible partially in certain parts of Indonesia. Hundreds of amateur photographers and astronomers settled inside the planetarium to get the glimpse of this "once in a lifetime event". The event began at around 2:02 pm in the afternoon and lasted for about 3 hours, 22 minutes.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, a solar eclipse has occurred after 21 years. The phenomenon was last seen in August 1998. The solar eclipse was clearly visible in certain locations, such as in Tanjung Piai in Johor or Serian and Sri Aman in Sarawak. The eclipse began at 11.20 am and lasted until 3.15 pm.

Oman

Capital of Oman, Muscat, experienced the annular solar eclipse at Sur al Hadid Beach in Seeb. The Astronomical Society of Oman set up telescopes at some locations from where people could observe the phenomenon. The location had been kept open for people to safely view the solar eclipse. The phenomenon began at 6:35 am and ended at 8:59 am in the morning.

Saudi Arabia

The solar eclipse in Saudi Arabia began at 6:37 am in the morning. It lasted for one hour eleven minutes and ended at 7:45 am. According to a climate professor at Qassim University's geography department Abdullah Al-Misnad, the Dec. 26 eclipse was the first of two eclipses in Saudi Arabia. The second eclipse will occur on June 21, 2020. Minister of Education Hamad Al-Asheikh ordered schools to postpone exams till 9 a.m. on Thursday due to the eclipse.

Singapore

Thousands of onlookers gathered outside the Science Centre in Jurong to watch the much-awaited "ring of fire" in the sky. Many came with their young children and elderly parents to the Science Centre to watch the phenomenon, which according to them was, "the greatest astronomical event in Singapore". About 6,000 solar viewing glasses from Science Centre were sold out by 1.15 pm. The solar eclipse phenomenon began at 11:30 am and lasted till about 3.20 pm.

Srilanka

The solar eclipse in Srilanka began at 8:10 am in the morning and lasted until 11:22 am. The duration of the phenomenon was 3 hours, 12 minutes. The people of Srilanka witnessed solar eclipse after many years. Professor Chandana Jayaratne of the Colombo University's Department of Physics gave details about it and warned not to view it with the naked eye. Colombo only witnessed a partial eclipse.