Solar Eclipse - July 22, 2009

A Total Solar Eclipse occurs on July 22, 2009. The eclipse will be visible on northern India, eastern Nepal, northern Bangladesh, Bhutan, the northern tip of Myanmar, central China and the Pacific Ocean. This is also the first Solar Eclipse of the year [January eclipse was an annular].

The below picture shows the umbra and penumbra of the eclipse. The regions under the dot experiences a total solar eclipse and the regions under the shadow circle experiences a partial eclipse. [NOTE: It is an animated image]


Chennai City experiences a partial eclipse. The eclipse begins right at sunrise 5:28 am and ends at 10:42 am when the moon leaves the sunset point at the pacific. The next solar eclipse in India will be on January 5, 2010, which will be an annular eclipse with umbra passing near Chennai.

Earthquake and Tsunami Prediction:

There has been an earthquake prediction by a software developer who specializes in Computer Game Physics and has posted a theory on a blog post. According to the theory, the long total eclipse will cause a tectonic plate shift in south of Japan resulting a major Tsunami. However, the author claims that this is only a theory and acknowledges that he is not qualified to make a formal prediction. The news is swiftly gaining attention worldwide as an electronic chain letter. Mainstream scientists and media have already rejected this hypothesis stating that there is no credible evidence to prove any relationship between solar eclipses and earthquakes.