Longest Solar eclipse on 22nd July 2009

The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century on 22nd July as it will provide a rare opportunity to witness the grand event for the people in west, central, east and north-east India. A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The intensely bright disk of the Sun is replaced by the dark silhouette of the Moon, SPACE President C B Devgun said. During the total eclipse, totality is visible only from a narrow track on the surface of the Earth. The countries to witness the path of the Moon's umbral shadow are India and Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

In India, the shadow sweeps over the cities of Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Varanasi and Patna. Travelling across Bhutan, the eclipse will be visible in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Burma(Myanmar), before reaching China at 06:35 IST, he said. China's largest city Shanghai will experience the total solar eclipse for five minutes, he said, adding across the East China Sea, the eclipse will sweep over Japan's Ryukyu Islands and Iwo Jima. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan's Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality will be 6 min 38 sec.