Partial solar eclipse on October 25 will be visible from most parts of India
Kolkata (PTI): During the Diwali festival on October 25, there will be a partial solar eclipse which will be visible from the city as well as from most parts of the country, astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari said.
The eastern metropolis, however, will be able to witness the partial solar eclipse, the second in 2022, for a very small duration, the celestial phenomenon will be better observed in the northern and western regions of the country, he said.
The eclipse will not be observed from north eastern India as the celestial phenomenon will be occurring after the sunset in those regions, Duari said.
Apart from India, the October 25-partial cosmic affair will be visible from most parts of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Duari elaborated.
"The partial solar eclipse will begin in Iceland at around 14:29 hours IST and will be seen at its maximum from Russia at 16:30 hours (IST). It will end at around 18:32 hours (IST) over the Arabian Sea," he told PTI while sharing information on the celestial event.
"The eastern part of the country will see the partial eclipse only marginally, that also during the sunset. The northern and western part of the country is a better location to observe the partial eclipse with a better view and for a longer period of time.
"During the new moon (Amavasya) the Sun, Moon, and Earth almost come in a linear configuration, whereby from earth we can see the moon without any sunlight falling on it. But at times, as on October 25, the Sun, Moon, and Earth will almost be on the same plane resulting in the moon appearing to cover the Sun partially for a period of time causing a partial Solar Eclipse," he explained.
In and around the metropolis, the partial eclipse will begin at around 16:52 hours, the maximum occurring at 17:01 hours, and will cease to be seen at 17:03 hours at the sunset, Duari said.
"Even at the maximum eclipse, only 4 percent of the lighted disc of the setting Sun will be covered by the Moon," he said.
In the north Bengal town of Siliguri, the celestial phenomenon will be occurring between 16:41 and 16:59 hours and during the maximum eclipse (at around 16:56 hours) about 8.91 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon's disc, Duari stated.
"In New Delhi, it will commence at around 16:29 hours and end with the sunset at 18:09 hours with the maximum eclipse to occur at 17:42 hours when the Sun will be obscured by the Moon by an amount of only 24.5 percent," Duari said.
Jaisalmer in Rajasthan will experience the eclipse from 16:26 hours to 18:09 hours with the maximum at around 17:30 hours. when the disc of the Sun will be obscured by 42.5 percent.
"In Mumbai, the eclipse will begin at 16:49 hours with the maximum occurring at around 17:42 hours. It will end at 18:09 hours, when the Sun appears to go down the Arabian Sea at sunset. Here, the Sun's disc will be covered by about 24.5 percent," he added.
In southern and central India, the eclipse will be again observed just before the sunset with Nagpur experiencing the eclipse during 16:49 to 17:42 hours. In Bengaluru, the eclipse will begin at 17:12 hours, reaching its maximum at 17:49 hours and ending at 17:55 hours during the sunset. Chennai will have the eclipse during 17:14 to 17:44 hours, the astrophysicist said.
The next major solar eclipse to be visible from India will be an annular eclipse on May 21, 2031 when the annularity can be observed from a narrow patch of land in south India, he said.
Three years later, on March 20, 2034, the next total solar eclipse will be visible from India and the totality will be observed from the northernmost part of Kashmir.
On both occasions, the whole country will observe a partial eclipse of varying magnitude depending upon its geographical location, Duari said.
Another partial eclipse can be seen from the northern part of India on June, 1, 2030.
Referring to the harm caused to the eyes by Sun's rays during an eclipse, Duari cautioned the sky enthusiasts to take "extreme precaution" while observing it.
"Even if the degree of the partial eclipse is not appreciable in most of the country, extreme precaution has to be taken by everybody who wants to observe this cosmic event. The Sun's rays can be very harmful to the eye and can become critical," he said.
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AI to operate new Dreamliner with limitations; awaits certain FAA approvals
New Delhi (PTI): Air India will operate its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with certain limitations as the Tata Group-owned airline is awaiting approvals from the US watchdog FAA for the sliding privacy doors in the plane's business class suites and for 18 economy class seats, sources said on Friday.
The aircraft, also the first custom-made Dreamliner to join the Air India fleet after takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022, will enter commercial operations on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route from February 1.
The plane has 296 seats, comprising 30 business class, 28 premium economy and 238 economy class seats. Out of them, 18 economy class seats will not be available for use till the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) give its approval, the sources told PTI.
In a statement to PTI, an airline spokesperson said the new B787-9 will enter commercial operations on February 1 with certain limitations.
"The sliding privacy doors in our business class suites will remain securely fixed in the open position and unavailable for passenger use, as this specific seat feature awaits regulatory approval. We expect to receive the necessary approval in the near future. All other seat features are available for passenger use," the spokesperson said.
Separately, a total of 18 specific economy class seats are blocked from sale and are also physically blocked from use.
"The seat product itself (RECARO 3710) is fully certified and in regular operation on many airlines worldwide; however, there is a regulatory interpretation affecting the 18 specific seats that we are working with the manufacturer and regulator to resolve.
"The 18 specific seats will only be offered for sale once full certification is received," the spokesperson said.
When contacted over e-mail, an FAA spokesperson told PTI, "We don't comment on ongoing certification work".
There was no comment from Boeing.
In 2026, five more wide-body aircraft -- three Boeing 787-9s and 2 A350-1000s -- are set to join the Air India fleet. The airline, currently, has 188 planes, and the legacy Boeing 787s are undergoing retrofit progressively.
According to the spokesperson, the product limitations due to pending certification apply only to the new B787-9 aircraft, and not to the retrofitted B787-8 planes.
These are two different variants, and their interior fitout undergoes a separate certification process. The certifications for seats and features on the B787-8 are complete and have been approved by relevant regulators and will be available for customer use, the spokesperson added.
The sources also said that some global airlines are awaiting certain regulatory approvals for their business class seats. These include Lufthansa, which is awaiting regulatory certification nod for some of the business class seats in their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft, they added.
At present, Air India has 33 Boeing 787s -- 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s, including 6 from Vistara and the new one.
In 2025, Boeing delivered 14 Boeing 787s to various airlines, including 12 Boeing 787-9s.
