Partial solar eclipse to be visible in India

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of India and will start at 4:03 p.m. in New Delhi on Friday, the government's Press Information Bureau said.

Residents in the financial capital of Mumbai will be able to view the eclipse starting at 04.27 pm, Nehru Planetarium director Piyush Pandey told Reuters.

The eclipse should be visible to Mumbai residents despite the slight cloud cover in the city, Pandey said.

"The sun is playing hide and seek, but we are able to get the images of the sun right now. But it is getting murkier and murkier. We have made arrangements and we are counting on the weather to clear around that time," he said.

"If the sky clears, the people will be able to see it, otherwise it is a missed opportunity," he added.

People can view it from their homes provided they employed sufficient safety measures and avoided looking at the sun directly, he said.

Solar filters, projection of the image on a piece of paper are some of the ways that people can view the eclipse without harming their eyes.

The eclipse will end at 06.04 pm, Pandey said.

The total eclipse will be visible in the region covering northern and eastern parts of North America, Greenland, northern Europe and Asia, except Japan.