The solar eclipse of July 22, 2009(TODAY), is the longest total solar eclipse
of the 21st century, lasting at most 6 minutes, 39 seconds.[1] It has caused
tourist interest in eastern China, Nepal and India.
The eclipse is part of saros series 136, like the record-setting solar eclipse
of July 11, 1991. The next event from this series will be on August 2, 2027.
The exceptional duration is a result of the moon being near perigee, with the
apparent diameter of the moon 8% larger than the sun (magnitude 1.080) and the
Earth being near aphelion where the sun appears slightly smaller.
It was visible from a narrow corridor through northern Maldives, northern
Pakistan and northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the
northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean, including the
Ryukyu Islands, Marshall Islands and Kiribati.
Toady totality it was visible in many large cities, including Surat, Vadodara,
Bhopal, Varanasi, Patna, Dinajpur, Siliguri, Tawang, Guwahati, Chengdu,
Nanchong, Chongqing, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Huanggang, Hefei, Hangzhou,
Wuxi, Huzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Shanghai, as well as over the Three
Gorges Dam.[6][7] According to some experts, Taregana[8][9] in Bihar is the
"best" place to view the event.
A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra,
including most of Southeast Asia (all of India and China) and north-eastern
Oceania.
This solar eclipse will be the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in
the 21st century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132.
Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse
occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands,
southeast of Japan. The uninhabited North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with
totality time closest to maximum, while the closest inhabited point is
Akusekijima, where the eclipse will last 6 minutes and 26 seconds.
Partial eclipse from New Delhi, India
Partial eclipse from Kolkata, India
Total eclipse from Varanasi, India
Partial eclipse from Tainan, Taiwan
Partial eclipse from Tainan, Taiwan
Solar eclipse from Anhui, China
