Rare Eclipse Set To Wow The Globe On Monday

IOL: Rare eclipse set to wow the globe

September 30 2005

Skywatchers are in for a rare treat on Monday when an annular eclipse will darken the Sun in a swathe across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The corridor in which this dramatic event can be seen is a narrow one, snaking from the North Atlantic, where it starts at 10.41am (841GMT), across the Iberian peninsula and then to northern and eastern Africa before petering out in the Indian Ocean at 1222GMT. Countries that lie on this path comprise Spain, notably in Madrid (best viewing is at 856GMT), as well as Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, northern Chad, central Sudan, south-western Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The maximum duration of "annularity" will be four minutes, 31 seconds, when the Sun is high overhead in central Sudan, according to the US publication Sky & Telescope.

Cities that lie north and south of the corridor will get a partial eclipse, in which the errant Moon will appear to take a bite out of the Sun.They include Berlin, London, Moscow, Reyjkavik, Rome, Jerusalem, Tehran and Istanbul, says Nasa expert Fred Espenak. Even locations as distant as Johannesburg and New Delhi will, weather permitting, get a tiny partial eclipse.

It is the fourth annular eclipse of the 21st century. Total eclipses happen about once every 18 months, although these usually fall over the sea or uninhabited areas. The next total eclipse, on March 29, 2006, will traverse equatorial West Africa, the Sahara, western Mediterranean, Turkey and Russia.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

BBC: Moon moves to make dazzling ring





Once again, though, astronomers are urging those without the proper viewing equipment not to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye; blindness could result.

A good option will be to watch the event on one of several websites geared up to stream it.

Those lucky enough to be in the path of annularity and with clear skies should look for the "beads" or "gems" that skirt the fiery ring. These are caused by sunlight streaming through valleys and past mountains on the Moon's surface.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.