Stargazers, sky-gazers, and scientists are going to get celestial feast in the month of July; they are going to get chance to view total eclipse in India. Yes, India will witness the longest solar eclipse of the twenty first century on July 22, 2009.

The Indian astronomers have informed the Ministry of Science and Technology that some parts of the country will witness total eclipse, which is expected to last for 6 minutes and 44 seconds; it will be the longest eclipse till 2132.   

According to Ministry of Science and Technology, the starting time of the eclipse will be 5.28 a.m. (IST), when the shadow of the moon will touch the earth at local sunrise point in the Arabian Sea, close to the western coast of India, and the eclipse will be over at 10.42 a.m. (IST), when the shadow of the moon will leave the earth at local sunset point in the South Pacific Ocean.

The astronomers have reported that the path of total eclipse will be through regions of west, central, east and north-east India; the total eclipse will be witnessed in parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and northeastern States, while the other parts of India will experience a partial eclipse. According to astronomers, next solar eclipse will take place on Jan 15, 2010.  

Some astrologers predict that the solar eclipse falling on July 22 will have bad effects on India, but the majority of astrologers feel that the eclipse will not have any significant impact on India. The chairman of Indian Astrological Research Institute, Dr Atul Tandon predicts no major changes, and says that the solar eclipse will not have any major impact on the country. According to astrologer Sushil Kumar Awasthi, the impact of the solar eclipse will be subdued because of its occurrence in the `shrawan' month.        

Meanwhile, Gujarat Tourism is planning to cash the even. It is planning to promote the upcoming event to boost the domestic tourism market. It is looking to promote Surat for viewing the total solar eclipse.