Space India to live-stream total solar eclipse from US on Aug 21

People in India will be able to witness the August 21 total solar eclipse on a YouTube channel, thanks to an initiative by Space India.

The Delhi-based Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators, will live-stream the upcoming celestial event from the US, the company said in a statement on Saturday.

The solar eclipse — when the Moon completely covers the Sun, will cross the US from Oregon to South Carolina over the course of an hour-and-a-half, and 14 US states will experience night-like darkness for approximately two minutes in the middle of the day.

"This is an unique phenomenon. The path of the total solar eclipse will cut throughout the US and will be viewed by millions.

"Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse," said Sachin Bahmba, Chairman and Managing Director at Space Group, who is leading the team from India for the expedition.

Amateur astronomers such as Yogeshwar Kanu Aggarwal, Luv Sharma, and Surinder Solanki, will accompany Bahmba, whose expedition includes taking photographs of all important phases observed during a total eclipse — called as "contacts."

The team will also be able to get unique and amazing features such as "Diamond Ring" and "Bailys' Beads" — which happens as pinpoints of light are passed through the uneven features and craters of the Moon when the moon is covering the sun.

The experiments will include studying the corona of the Sun which is only visible during an eclipse.

"The corona" gives valuable information about the temperature of the Sun's atmosphere. Besides, temperature on Earth is expected to fall during the eclipse. So, the temperature will be recorded at different stages," Bahmba explained.