The total eclipse of the sun on the longest day in the northern hemisphere on Sunday grazed the northwestern tip of Nepal, and cut off 80% of sunshine over the country.
In locked down Kathmandu, the sun was partially obscured by monsoon clouds and although the sky did go perceptibly dark and the temperature fell, most people seemed unaware of the celestial spectacle and went about their daily business.
The annular eclipse was near total over Kalapani, the area at the disputed tri-junction between Nepal, India and China as well as the Hindu pilgrimage site of Mansarovar and Mt Kailash.
The eclipse started just after 10:52AM in Kathmandu with the sun steadily occluded by the moon till the peak at 11:30AM and ended at 2:24 pm.
The next total eclipse of the sun visible in Nepal will be in 2124 – in 104 years. However, there will be an annual solar eclipse (where the moon does not completely cover the sun) in 2064. A partial eclipse will occur in 2 August, 2027.
Photos by Bikram Rai and Monika Deupala.
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