Pathani Samant Planetarium readies for tomorrow's solar eclipse; is partaking of food advisable ?

Bhubaneswar, 25/11: Pathani Samant Planetarium in the city has prepared itself for showing the scenes of this year's solar eclipse tomorrow. The solar eclipse will be visibale around 60 percent in Odisha. Meanwhile, the state government has declared tomorrow as holiday in view of the solar eclipse. As such, today was a government holiday on the occasion of Christmas festival. Deputy Director of Pathani Samant Plaenetarium Subhendu Patnaik said it was not advisable to watch solar eclipse by naked eye. That's why special measures had been taken by the planetarium to show the people scenes of solar eclipse on a screen through a telescope and projector. "We have installed a telescope and a large screen for this purpose. Besides, we have kept printed materials to make the  solar eclipse watchers, especially the students", he said. The solar eclipse will begin at 8.20 am and will end at 11.40 am. The full view of  solar eclipse will be visible at 9.45 am. Sixty percent of the eclipse will be visible in Odisha. The astrologers and priests in various temples said the cooking and worship of deities would be closed from 8.20 pm today and it would resume tomorrow around 11.30 pm after purification rituals at home and the temples. However, scientists and rationalists said there was no need to partake food as the solar eclipse would have no impact on the health, as was believed by the astrologers and pundits.