ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE 2019 TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

Annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the centre of the sun, leaving the sun’s outer edges to form a “ring of fire”. In Tiruchirappalli the eclipse started around 8:06 am and lasted till 11:16 am. It was a visual treat to watch this rare spectacle event. Solar eclipses are only visible from within the area where the shadow falls, and the closer you are to the center of the shadow’s path, the bigger the eclipse looks. For any solar eclipse to take place, it has to be around New Moon when the Sun and Earth are aligned on opposite sides of the Moon. Normally, the New Moon is invisible from Earth. The only time we can see it is during solar eclipses, silhouetted against the Sun. The annular eclipse is happening after a period of nine year, such phenomenon will again be visible in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 2031.

GOA TRAVELOGUE

This year I and my family planned to visit Goa during second week of December 2019. I booked the early morning flight from Chennai to Goa. We booked Santana Beach Resort, Condolim. This property is very well maintained and also located in a very good location – walking distance to Sinquerim beach. You able get access to good number of shacks, water sports activities and beautiful view of Singuerim fort. This beach is less crowded than other north Goa beaches.

First place we visited was Basilica of Bom Jesus Church. This is one of oldest church in India which was build in year 1605. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier. The body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Portuguese Malacca and two years later shippedback to Goa.

We also saw Se Cathediral which was located next to Basilica of Bom Jesus.

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RED-NECKED FALCON

The red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) is a bird of prey in the falcon family. I had an opportunity to view this bird near Chennai. We travelled all the way to Chengalpattu to view and click this bird.

TAJ MAHAL

Taj Mahal – Crown of Palaces. There is no better reason to travel to Agra to see one of the most beautiful building in the world. Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world. A symbol of love and tragedy, the iconic mausoleum was ordered by Shah Jahan, a Mughal ruler, to be built in honour of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

I woke up at 4:30 AM to prepare myself to visit one of the most beautiful monument in the world. Early morning is the best time to see as it was May month which was really very hot in Agra. I walked through the Great gate archway which opens into the gardens surrounding the mausoleum. Across the few hundred meters of main gardens was the creative masterpiece “Taj Mahal”. The view of the Tajmahal from this gate is just mesmerizing providing the snapshot of the beauty of this place.