Formation and Observations of Shadow Bands During the Total Solar Eclipse of November 23, 2003 Near Maitri, Antarctic

Abstract

The phenomenon of shadow bands takes place due to the scattering of sunlight by the irregularities in the local atmosphere. Observation of shadow bands were made just before and after the total solar eclipse (TSE) on November 23, 2003 near the Indian Antarctic station Maitri (long. 11°45″E and lat. 70°45″S). The formation and observations of shadow bands during this TSE are presented. The results of correlation analysis show that the correlation (1) falls to half at separation of ~ 35 cm in horizontal direction; and (2) also at ∼100ms time lag. The power spectrum of the shadow band fluctuations had a power law distribution (spectral index ∼ −2) which is different from earlier eclipse observations reported in the literature. However, it closely resembles theoretical predictions of the extended screen scintillation theory.