A greater part of the eclipse was visible in South India and several parts of India like Odisha, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi witnessed the last solar eclipse of the decade today. It is a partial eclipse and the Moon won’t be able to fully cover the Sun. The Moon was in the center and it blocked the sunlight.
Dr Bhujang Shetty, ophthalmologist and chairman of the Narayana Nethralaya, while speaking to the Times of India advised the people not to look at the sun directly with naked eyes as there are possibilities of the retina being damaged and the chances are even high during the time when the solar eclipse is at the maximum. “If people look at the Sun directly with naked eyes, there is a danger of the retina being damaged. The chances are more during the time when the eclipse is at the maximum.”
As India became a part of the celestial event today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined many Indians to witness the eclipse.
However, he could not see the solar eclipse owing to cloud cover, but he had caught glimpses of it on the live stream. He also tweeted pictures of him enthusiastically trying to watch the glimpse of the solar eclipse with protective gears on.
He tweeted, “Like many Indians, I was enthusiastic about #solareclipse2019. Unfortunately, I could not see the Sun due to cloud cover but I did catch glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode and other parts on live stream. Also enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts.”
After the PM tweeted the picture, it started doing the rounds on social media. The picture of PM Modi looking up at the sky with glasses on and a pair of protective glasses in his hands is trending on the internet.
One of the Twitter users informed PM Modi that his picture is becoming a meme. In reply, PM Modi wrote, “Most welcome….enjoy.”
This is how Twitter reacted: