Mohali: Enthusiasts get slice of celestial delight

Mohali, October 25

Scores of enthusiastic children, scientists and tricity residents witnessed the partial solar eclipse at a Sector 71 observatory here this evening.

Youngsters lined up to watch the celestial phenomenon, the last one of the year. Observatory owner Amrinderjit Singh said: “We cover all celestial events and had installed three telescopes for the event. The eclipse is viewed with the help of a telescope, solar filter and camera.”

Garima, a school student, said: “It was interesting to witness the partial eclipse. A large number of people had gathered here to see it.”

The celestial event began at 4.25 pm and lasted till sunset in Mohali. During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and earth, blocking the sunlight from reaching earth. During today’s event, the sun was partly covered by the moon as it passed in front of it. Scientists recommend glasses complying with ISO 12312-2 safety standards to observe an eclipse. A lunar eclipse is scheduled for November 8, said a scientist.