|
A partial solar eclipse will be visible from Joburg on Monday morning, but be careful not to look at the sun without an eclipse viewer.
THE best solar eclipse visible in South Africa for the next few years will take place on Monday, 26 January, between 7am and 9.30am.
Monday's partial eclipse will be the most prominent this year, and the celestial show promises to capture the attention of both amateur and professional astronomers from all over the world.
According to a South African Astronomical Observatory researcher, Enrico Olivier, the eclipse will only be partially visible in South Africa, and it won't be completely dark.
He explains that this month's eclipse is an interesting astronomical event that only happens a few times.
"A number of people spend [their whole] lives without ever witnessing an eclipse ... This will be the best solar eclipse visible from South Africa for several years, so don't miss the opportunity."
During the eclipse, a portion of the sun will gradually become obscured by the moon in the east, beginning about 7am and ending about 9.30am.
By 8am the solar disk will appear as a prominent horned crescent. This horned appearance should continue until about 8.45am as the moon passes over the sun.
Best view
The best vantage point will be Cape Town, which will have 65 percent coverage of the sun; Durban will have 46 percent courage, with Joburg seeing 35 percent covered.
The most recent eclipse occurred on 4 December 2002 in Limpopo. The next partial solar eclipse will be visible in Cape Town on 25 November 2011.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and earth, casting a shadow on the earth. They only occur during the "new moon" phase of the moon when the moon is between the earth and the sun on its orbital path.
Sharon Tait, a member of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, has warned against looking directly at the sun during the eclipse. "Failure to take adequate safety precautions could severely damage one's eyes. This might even lead to total blindness," she warns.
"Avoid using unapproved, non-filter sunglasses, smoked glasses or photography negatives to view annular or partial solar eclipses since they may not be able to block all harmful infrared rays."
A good way to observe the eclipse is to create a pinhole camera that is pointed at the sun and its image projected on to a darkened screen.
Solar filters
Solar filters can also be used to observe the eclipse. Welder's goggles or the filters for welder's goggles with a rating of 14 or higher are safe to use for looking directly at the sun. These are relatively inexpensive.
The partial eclipse of the sun will coincide with the launch of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) next week.
Declared by the United Nations, IYA 2009 is a global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture, with strong emphasis on education, public participation and the involvement of young people.
More information is available on the IYA2009 website, where links can be found to the live webcast, the list of public viewing sites and the list of eclipse viewers.
Related stories:
|
