VARKALA: The joy of a 37-member contingent of the New Delhi-based Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) knew no bounds when it captured Baily’s Beads on camera for the first time during the solar eclipse. The decision to fly down to Varkala, northern edge of the eclipse zone, was a rewarding one for the team. “We were able to record the sparkling beads of sunlight shining through the lunar valley,” a jubilant Vikarant Narang, Scientific Officer at SPACE, who headed the team, said. “The stunning bead-like light formations are crucial observations which can only be made during eclipses that can help define the solar diameter accurately,” he said. “This is an ongoing observation which will contribute to an ongoing international project called IOTA (International Occultation Timing Association).” Vaibhav Sawant, a final year physics student at Fergusson College, Pune, who was in the team, was lucky to capture the rare phenomenon on his camera. “It was my first eclipse. I clicked six to seven shots a second and was lucky to capture it,” he said.
The team captured Baily’s Beads by setting up a high focal length automated Meade telescope with eight high definition cameras mounted on it. “The field of view was trained on a small section of the Sun where the Moon’s southern edge grazed across the Moon to create Baily’s Beads,” Mr. Narang said. The team managed to get three high resolution videos and the images were webcast and over 7,000 viewers watched it on the site. A 10-member contingent of students from various schools led by Tanmay Paranjpaye, Science Officer, SPACE, supported them by carrying out several real-time experiments at a helipad at the beach resort. “It was a rare opportunity for us. Everyone is eagerly waiting at school and back home to hear from us,” Praful Sharma of Ahlcon School said. Tushar, a second year student of IP University, Delhi, handled the Radiojove developed to monitor the Sun at 20 Megahertz. Mr. Paranjpaye said it was found that ambient light went down drastically during the eclipse and wind speed dipped from 5.1 m/second to 0.1m/sec during annularity. The public were treated to vistas of the eclipse over the Arabian Sea. The volunteers led by coordinator Shikha Chanana explained the stages as well as provided solar goggles to those who arrived. Foreign tourists were among the 1,000-odd people who gathered at the helipad to view the event. “It was a beautiful experience and we will never forget it. We felt the change in temperature, light decreasing and the sky turning grey brown,” an excited Simone and Morena, from Italy, said. Astrophotographer and president of the Eclipse Chasers Athenaenum Ajay Talwar captured the solar eclipse from a resort near the helipad. A five-member team led by veteran eclipse chaser Daniel Fischer was also at Varkala.
Source: The Hindu, Dated:16.01.2010
The team captured Baily’s Beads by setting up a high focal length automated Meade telescope with eight high definition cameras mounted on it. “The field of view was trained on a small section of the Sun where the Moon’s southern edge grazed across the Moon to create Baily’s Beads,” Mr. Narang said. The team managed to get three high resolution videos and the images were webcast and over 7,000 viewers watched it on the site. A 10-member contingent of students from various schools led by Tanmay Paranjpaye, Science Officer, SPACE, supported them by carrying out several real-time experiments at a helipad at the beach resort. “It was a rare opportunity for us. Everyone is eagerly waiting at school and back home to hear from us,” Praful Sharma of Ahlcon School said. Tushar, a second year student of IP University, Delhi, handled the Radiojove developed to monitor the Sun at 20 Megahertz. Mr. Paranjpaye said it was found that ambient light went down drastically during the eclipse and wind speed dipped from 5.1 m/second to 0.1m/sec during annularity. The public were treated to vistas of the eclipse over the Arabian Sea. The volunteers led by coordinator Shikha Chanana explained the stages as well as provided solar goggles to those who arrived. Foreign tourists were among the 1,000-odd people who gathered at the helipad to view the event. “It was a beautiful experience and we will never forget it. We felt the change in temperature, light decreasing and the sky turning grey brown,” an excited Simone and Morena, from Italy, said. Astrophotographer and president of the Eclipse Chasers Athenaenum Ajay Talwar captured the solar eclipse from a resort near the helipad. A five-member team led by veteran eclipse chaser Daniel Fischer was also at Varkala.
Source: The Hindu, Dated:16.01.2010
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