Thousands watch the 'Ring of Fire' in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 15 (IANS) Thousands of people, especially in the southern districts of Kerala, viewed the millennium's longest solar eclipse Friday. A clear sky helped them have an excellent view.

The maximum crowd was gathered at the Kanakakunnu Palace hill in the heart of the city. The first signs of the celestial marvel was seen around 11.05 a.m. and by 1.05 p.m. excitement mounted when 95 per cent of the sun was covered by the moon.	 	
"This is a marvellous experience and for the past one week I have been reading a lot of literature on this. I am quite fortunate that I got a pair of the prescribed glasses, so I could view the eclipse  without any problem to my eyes," said Class XII student G. Swaroop at Palace hill.	 	
Huge crowds were also seen at the seaside tourist location of Varkala, around 40 km from here, where a large number of foreign tourists were keenly observing the event.	 	
"I do not miss any of the eclipses, irrespective of where they happen in India. I really enjoyed this one because of its longevity," said 80-year-old K. John, a Keralite settled in Germany for the past six decades, who had arrived here to visit his relatives and watch the celestial event.	 	
Daylight dimmed around 1 p.m for around 10 minutes. People could also feel a drop in the temperature, though an hour earlier it was rather warm. Slowly, the light started getting better and by around 3.23 p.m., it was back to normal.	 	
A large number of people  standing by the roadside held dark transparent sheets, trying to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Many were seen sporting sun glasses.