The Total Solar Eclipse of October 24 1995

The total solar eclipse of October 24, 1995, whose central line cut across the subcontinent of India, was only the second total solar eclipse visible from India in this century. The previous total eclipse visible from India occurred on February 16, 1980. At that time the print media filed widely varying reports on what the effect of seeing the eclipse would be, without much coordinated input from astronomers. With the new confused advice reinforcing old fears, almost the entire population literally hid indoors, fearing the worst. Many Indian astronomers silently resolved to themselves then, that public education must be taken up with the same level of seriousness as research programmes during the next eclipse.