8 March 2016 – 9 March 2016 — Total/partial Solar Eclipse----DOs-DON'Ts to watch the solar eclipse:

Total solar eclipses occur when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth and casts the darkest part of its shadow (the umbra) on Earth. The darkest point of the eclipse is almost as dark as night.

During a total eclipse of the Sun, the Moon covers the entire disk of the Sun. In partial and annular solar eclipses, the Moon blocks only part of the Sun.

Not Total Everywhere

Eclipses are named after their darkest phase. If a solar eclipse is total at any point on Earth, it is called a total solar eclipse, even though it's seen as a partial eclipse in most parts of the world.

Total Solar Eclipse Infographic.

The Sun's corona, Baily's beads and the diamond ring effect are only visible at the totality (darkest point) of a Total Solar Eclipse.As the Moon moves to cover the entire disc of the Sun, the Sun's corona forms a ring of light like a diamond ring.

The Sun,moon and earth are aligned

• A partial solar eclipse will be seen in India on Wednesday morning with the north-eastern parts of the country expected to see a large fraction of the disc of the Sun, eclipsed by the Moon.
• The total solar eclipse, where the sun will be 100% obscured, will only be visible from parts of Indonesia including Sumatra, Borneo, and Sulawesi, and from locations in the Pacific Ocean.
• Observers in north and east Australia, in South Asia, and in East Asia will be able to see a partial eclipse.
• The total eclipse will begin at 04:49 AM (IST) and its maximum point will take place at 06:30 AM on March 9, 2016 before ending at 10.05 AM.

• The instant of greatest eclipse occurs at 7:27 AM when the eclipse magnitude reaches 1.044 with duration of totality 4 minutes and 14 seconds in a region of Pacific Ocean.
• In Delhi, people can observe the celestial phenomenon at 6:40 AM lasting for about 4 minutes.
• "This is the first solar eclipse of the year and will be the only one visible until year December 26 of 2019 from India," 
• The last time a solar eclipse was visible from parts of northern India was on January 4 of 2011 (Partial Solar Eclipse). The last solar eclipse visible from the entire country occurred on January 15 of 2010 (Annular Solar Eclipse), added Raghunandan.
• As many parts of India are lying just at the edge of the zone of visibility of the partial phases of this eclipse, there will barely be a miniscule bite taken out of the Sun.
• Further, this tiny part of the eclipse happens even as the Sun is rising, further exacerbating any viewing possibility. It is almost as if there is hardly an eclipse, to be seen, as far as most of India is concerned.

The real celestial treat is for India's seven sisters. In all the North Eastern states, the sunrise eclipse will be visible as a partial eclipse from within minutes of sunrise to some little time after sunrise.

5 Phases
There are 5 stages in a total solar sclipse:

Partial eclipse begins (first contact): The Moon's shadow starts becoming visible over the Sun's disc. The sun looks as if a bite has been taken from it.
Total eclipse begins (second contact): Almost the entire disc of the Sun is covered by the Moon. Observers in the path of the Moon's umbra may be able to see Baily's beads and the diamond ring effect.
Maximum eclipse or totality: The Moon completely covers the disc of the Sun. Only the Sun's corona is visible. This is the most dramatic stage of a Total Solar Eclipse. At this time, the Sky goes dark, temperatures fall drastically and birds and animals often go quiet.
Total eclipse ends (third contact): The Moon's shadow starts moving away and the Sun reappears.
Partial eclipse ends (fourth contact): The Moon stops overlapping the Sun's disc. The eclipse ends at this stage.

Special Sights at Totality

Phenomena only visible at the totality.

Certain phenomena can only be seen during a Total Solar Eclipse:

Baily's beads: Seen about 10-15 seconds before and after totality, Baily's beads are little bead-like blobs of light at the edge of the Moon. These happen because the gaps in the mountains and valleys on the Moon's surface allow sunlight to pass through in some places but not others.
Diamond ring: As the Moon moves to cover the entire disc of the Sun, Baily's beads disappear, leaving one last bead a few seconds before totality. At this point in the eclipse, the Sun's corona forms a ring around the Moon. The ring around the Moon and the leftover Baily's bead gives the appearance of a diamond ring.
The Sun's chromosphere: The Sun's atmosphere has 3 layers: the photosphere, the chromosphere and the corona. The chromosphere, which gives out a reddish glow can only be seen for a few seconds right after the diamond ring disappears during a total eclipse of the Sun.
The Sun's corona: Like the chromosphere, the Sun's corona is only visible during a Total Solar Eclipse. It can be seen as a faint ring of rays surrounding the dark Moon during totality.
Shadow bands: About one minute before and after totality, moving wavy lines of alternating light and dark can be seen on plain-colored surfaces. These shadow bands are the result of the light emitted from a thin solar crescent being refracted by the Earth's atmosphere.

Regions seeing, at least, a partial eclipse: South/East Asia, North/West Australia, Pacific, Indian Ocean.

Cities where at least part of the total eclipse is visible
Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia
Sofifi, North Maluku, Indonesia

Cities where partial eclipse is visible
Bantam, Cocos Islands
The Settlement, Christmas Island
Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region, Indonesia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Singapore, Singapore
Bangkok, Thailand
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Dili, Timor-Leste
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
General Santos, Philippines
Davao, Philippines
Manila, Philippines
Melekeok, Palau
Hagåtña, Guam
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Weno, Truk, Micronesia
Palikir, Pohnpei, Micronesia
Wake Island, US Minor Outlying Islands
Midway, US Minor Outlying Islands
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
When the Eclipse Happens Worldwide
The eclipse starts at one location and ends at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurs.

Event UTC Time
First location to see the partial eclipse begin 8 Mar, 23:19 9 Mar, 02:19
First location to see the full eclipse begin 9 Mar, 00:15 9 Mar, 03:15
Maximum eclipse 9 Mar, 01:59 9 Mar, 04:59
Last location to see the full eclipse end 9 Mar, 03:38 9 Mar, 06:38
Last location to see the partial eclipse end 9 Mar, 04:34 9 Mar, 07:34
* Local times shown do not refer to when the eclipse can be observed from Riyadh. Instead, they indicate the times when the eclipse begins, is at its maximum, and ends, somewhere else on Earth. The corresponding local times are useful if you want to view the eclipse via a live webcam.

DON'TS

• Never watch the eclipse with a naked eye.
• Don't use Binoculars to view the eclipse.
• Don't use Telescope to view the eclipse.
• Don't use any cheap or easily available filters in Telescope or Binoculars to view the sun. Only specifically designed filters should be used with Telescope and Binoculars.
• Don't watch the eclipse using color film.
• Don't watch the eclipse with non-silver black and white film.
• Don't watch the eclipse with medical x-ray films with images on them.
• Don't use smoked glass to view the sun.
• All developed films lack a silver emulsion and therefore it should not be used to view the eclipse.

DOs

• Take the advice of an experienced person or a scientist before planning to view a Total Solar Eclipse
• Only use specifically designed spectacles designed with filters to view the eclipse.
• The safest method of viewing a Total Solar Eclipse is by projection, in which a small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen beyond the opening.
• It is safe to view the total phase of an eclipse (when the moon completely coves the sun) with naked eye. But one needs to know when to stop and start viewing the total phase. So this is bit risky.

http://www.timeanddate.com

timesofindia.indiatimes.com