The solar eclipse in India is known as Surya Grahan.A solar eclipse as explained by Wikipedia:

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.

Today’s solar eclipse is an annular eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 0.9190. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth’s view of the Sun

Today’s Surya Grahan–will be the longest solar eclipse in duration since 1992. A Partial solar eclipse will be visible during 11:25 AM to 3:15 PM (Indian Standard Time).

At its peak, over the Indian Ocean, it will last 11 minutes 8 seconds. This duration won’t be exceeded for 1000 years. It will last 10 minutes 45 seconds in Male, a boon for eclipse tourists.

According to old Hindu mythology it is advisable that during grahan, nothing should be eaten as it is believed that during graham food gets infected and become injurious to health. It is also believed taking bath in Holy River as when grahan starts and finishes keeps you protected from the bad effects of sunrays emitted during the eclipse.. And for pregnant ladies it is highly advisable not to move from their place till the time graham persists as it is believed grahan may have many bad effects on to be born baby.

Moreover for eclipse viewer, there are some of the precautions that to be taken care of during solar eclipse/ Surya grahan:

Don’ts during Solar Eclipse

* Never watch the eclipse with a naked eye.

* Don’t use Binoculars or Telescope to view the eclipse.

* Don’t use any cheap or easily available filters in Telescope or Binoculars to view the sun. Only specifically designed filters should be used with Telescope and Binoculars.

* Don’t watch the eclipse with non-silver black and white film.

* Don’t watch the eclipse with medical x-ray films with images on them.

* Don’t use smoked glass to view the sun.

* All developed films lack a silver emulsion and therefore it should not be used to view the eclipse.

Do’s During Solar Eclipse

* You should take the advice of an experienced person or a scientist before planning to view a Total Solar Eclipse.

* Only use specifically designed spectacles designed with filters to view the eclipse.

* The safest method of viewing a Total Solar Eclipse is by projection, in which a small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen beyond the opening.

* It is safe to view the total phase of an eclipse (when the moon completely coves the sun) with naked eye. But one needs to know when to stop and start viewing the total phase. So this is bit risky.

Places and Times in India where Surya Grahan on 15th January, 2010, in four metros.

Delhi – 11:53 AM to 3:32 PM

Mumbai – 11:17 AM to 3:04 PM

Chennai – 11:25 AM to 3:15 PM

Kolkata – 12:07 PM to 3:29 PM

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