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Sky enthusiasts gear up to watch eclipse of super blue blood moon

TNN
January 31, 2018

New Delhi, Jan 31: Sky lovers are excited for the extraterrestrial triple treat to be witnessed in the sky today.

A super blue blood moon will be eclipsed on Wednesday from 6 PM to 9:30 PM at various locations across the country.

Sky enthusiasts have taken out their telescopes and booked a cosy place on their terrace or garden to watch the celestial spectacle.

If you want to see the whole event unfold, you should be away from tall buildings, bright lights, trees, things like that. You should have a clear view of the skies.

Lunar eclipse can be watched with naked eyes unlike solar eclipse.

This total lunar eclipse is special for three reasons: It's the third in a series of "supermoons" when the Moon will be just a day past perigee which is the closest point to Earth in it's orbit, making it appear very large and bright ; 2) It is about 14 percent bigger than usual and appearing 30 per cent brighter 3) It's the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a "blue moon". A supermoon is a particularly close full or new moon

While the Moon is in the Earth's shadow it will take on a reddish tint, known as a "blood moon."

There hasn't been a triple lineup like this since 1982, and the next won't occur until 2037.

As far as India is concerned, in 1982 on December 30, there was a lunar eclipse. Also it was second full moon of December 1982. i.e. Lunar Eclipse on Blue Moon in India occurred in 1982, said Sri N Raghunandan Kumar, Director & Founder Secretary of Planetary Society of India, Hyderabad.

The moon will rise in Delhi at 5:53:48 PM, while the partial eclipse will begin at 5:21:00 PM ( when the moon will be below horizon).The

total eclipse phase will begin at 6:21:47 PM and end at 7:37:51 PM.

The maximum eclipse will at 6:59:51 PM.

Places in north eastern states like Agartala, Aizawl, Cooch Bihar, Darjeeling, Dibrugarh, Gangtok, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Kolkatta, Murshidabad, Shillong, Silchar, Silguri and Port Blair will appreciate all visible phases of the lunar eclipse.

The last time a lunar eclipse was visible in India occurred on August 7, 2017 which, however, was partial lunar eclipse.

And, the last time the "Blue Moon" occurred was in 2015 i.e. in July (2nd July 2015 & 31st July).

This year is astronomically very interesting as after 20 years we will have two Blue Moons in a calendar year i.e. January ( 2nd Jan & 31 Jan) 2018 and March (1st March and 31st March) 2018.

While amateur skywatchers catch the show, scientists across the world will watch the dramatic impact of the eclipse on the moon's surface— its temperature will drop as it passes into shadow.

SPACE India, an NGO which works to promote scientific temperament among children, will conduct an observation with telescopes at India Gate to promote public outreach on the night of January 31 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. Educators will provide views of the Eclipsed Moon and elucidate the phases to people.

The NGO will also dispel myths about the chandra grahan among people.

Across the world this eclipse will be visible in the region covering North America except eastern part, Oceania, Russia, Asia, Middle East, northern Scandanavia and eastern Europe.

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Agencies
July 29,2020

Dubai, Jul 29: Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday begin the annual Haj, downsized this year as the Saudi hosts strive to prevent a coronavirus outbreak during the five-day pilgrimage.

The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But this year only up to 10,000 people already residing in the Kingdom will participate in the ritual, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world that attended last year.

"There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but (downsizing) is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic," said Khalid bin Qarar Al Harbi, Saudi Arabia's director of public security.

Pilgrims will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing during a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in the holy city of Makkah and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia.

Those selected to take part in the Haj were subject to temperature checks and placed in quarantine as they began trickling into Makkah at the weekend.

State media showed health workers sanitising their luggage, and some pilgrims reported being given electronic wristbands to allow authorities to monitor their whereabouts.

Workers, clutching brooms and disinfectant, were seen cleaning the area around the Kaaba, the structure at the centre of the Grand Mosque draped in gold-embroidered cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray.

Haj authorities have cordoned off the Holy Kaaba this year, saying pilgrims will not be allowed to touch it, to limit the chances of infection.

They also reported setting up multiple health facilities, mobile clinics and ambulances to cater to the pilgrims.

Saudi authorities said only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the Kingdom would be permitted for the Haj. Some 70 per cent of the pilgrims are foreigners residing in the Kingdom, while the rest will be Saudi citizens, authorities said.

All worshippers were required to be tested for coronavirus before arriving in the holy city of Makkah and will also have to quarantine after the pilgrimage as the number of cases in the Kingdom nears 270,000.

They were given elaborate amenity kits that include sterilised pebbles for a stoning ritual, disinfectants, masks, a prayer rug and the Ihram, a seamless white garment worn by pilgrims, according to a Haj ministry programme document.

"I did not expect, among millions of Muslims, to be blessed with approval," Emirati pilgrim Abdullah Al Kathiri said in a video released by the Saudi media ministry.

"It is an indescribable feeling... especially since it is my first pilgrimage."

The Haj ministry said non-Saudi residents of the Kingdom from around 160 countries competed in the online selection process but it did not say how many people applied.

Despite the pandemic, many pilgrims consider it safer to participate in this year's ritual without the usual colossal crowds cramming into tiny religious sites, which make it a logistical nightmare and a health hazard.

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News Network
March 2,2020

New Delhi, Mar 2: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a curative petition filed by convict Pawan Kumar Gupta who was sentenced to death in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

A five-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said that no case is made out for re-examining the conviction and the punishment of the convict.

Other members of the bench were justices Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan.

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News Network
May 17,2020

New Delhi, May 17: Spelling out the government’s fourth tranche of initiatives towards achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced significant structural reforms in eight sectors of the economy — coal, minerals, defense production, aviation, power distribution in Union territories, space and atomic energy.

Addressing her fourth and the second-last press conference, Sitharaman said crucial sectors such as coal production and exploration, defence production and space would see an increased participation from private entities.

Coal sector:

In the realm of coal exploration, the government has decided to liberalise the entry norms for private entities, which would mean that any interested party could bid for a coal block and sell it in the open market. The minister said that the government would do away with all the eligibility conditions at the time of bidding for a coal block, except requiring an “upfront payment with a ceiling.”

Nearly 50 coal blocks would be offered to private players immediately, revealed Sitharaman.

She further said that Rs 50,000 crore would be spent by Centre in creating ‘coal evacuation’ infrastructure, which would expedite the transport of mined product to the destination.

Defence sector:

In defence production, Sitharaman revealed that the government would raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the sector from current 49 per cent to 74 per cent. Further, the government would also work towards corporatising the ordnance factory boards. “Corporatising doesn’t amount to privatization,” added Sitharaman.

In a bid to boost indigenous production of defence products and gave an impetus to Make in India, Sitharaman said that the government was in a process of notifying a list of weapons/platforms for an import ban with year-wise timelines.

These decisions would also help in reducing huge import bills, the finance minister said.

Privatisation of electricity:

In another announcement that could have an effect on electricity charges in the union territories, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Saturday that power departments and utilities in all the centrally administered territories would be privatised.

Sitharaman said that the proposed move would lead to better service to consumers and improvement in operational and financial efficiency in distribution.

The finance minister said that decision was guided by 'sub-optimal' utilisation of performance of power distribution and supply'.

She said that the move to that effect would provide a model for emulation by other utilities across the country, in what could be an indicator of what's in the pipeline for utilities in other states as well.

Sitharaman said that the privation reform was in line with the tariff policy reforms and would help in enhancing consumer rights, promote industry and improve the overall sustainability of the sector.

Space sector:

Sitharaman also announced the opening up of the space exploration sector for private players. Till date, the government-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has held a monopoly on all activities concerning space exploration and satellite launches.

The Indian private sector will be a co-traveller in India's space sector journey, said Sitharaman, while announcing a series of structural reforms in eight crucial areas of the economy. The Union Finance Minister was addressing her fourth press conference in as many days, as a follow-up towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'atmanirbhar Bharat', which was spelled out in his video address on May 12.

Sitharaman said that the reforms in the space sector will provide a level-playing field for private companies in satellite launches and space-based services.

She said that the private sector would be allowed to use ISRO facilities and other assets to improve their capacities. Stating that the government would provide predictable policy and regulatory environment to private players, Sitharaman also disclosed that future projects for planetary exploration and outer space travel among others would be opened up for private entities.

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