Day 25 - Sunflare

Sunflare? What am I going to write about a sunflare? I know I will write about the next best thing - Solar Eclipse! This post is not related to astronomy! However, let me tell you an incident that happened while I was growing up in India. 

India can be a confusing place sometimes. The country is progressively in economy, science and technology and is also steeped in religious practices and superstitions. One such superstition surrounds the solar eclipse. When there is a solar eclipse, life pretty much comes to a standstill in India. No cooking, bathing or eating. I can't remember if we are allowed to drink water. Anyway, you get the picture! Mercifully, these solar eclipses are pretty quick; the ,moon is smaller and moves by pretty fast from its path between the Sun and the Earth. 

We experienced a total solar eclipse in India. What this means is that the sun was totally covered by the shadow of the moon. I was awaiting eagerly to watch all of this. And remember, I was awaiting eagerly without having showered, drunk water or having eaten. If you have not showered in an Indian weather and with no AC, it is sooooooo uncool! :-) All said and done, it was a beautiful sight to watch. The earth suddenly went dark and for a few minutes, I understood the importance of sun. When the moon is ready to eclipse the sun completely with this shadow, it formed a beautiful diamond ring .I did not take pictures of the "diamond ring" in the sky; however, I downloaded this picture to show it to you guys. It is said that total solar eclipses are rare and one probably gets to see only one in their lifetime. I am glad I did! 

I am going to hunt down when the next total solar eclipse is and put myself in that part of the world to experience another eclipse! 

Courtesy: http://childfriendlynews.com/what-is-an-eclipse