[b]Nigeria is set to experience an
annular solar eclipse that will
be visible all over the country
with different degrees of
totality on September 1, 2016,
even as astronomers in the
United States (U.S.) prepare
for a spectacle of solar eclipse
on August 21, 2017.[/b]
An eclipse is an astronomical
event that occurs when an
astronomical object is
temporarily obscured, either
by passing into the shadow of
another body or by having
another body pass between it
and the viewer.
The term eclipse is most often
used to describe either a solar
eclipse, when the Moon’s
shadow crosses the Earth’s
surface, or a lunar eclipse,
when the Moon moves into
the Earth’s shadow.
Annular solar eclipses have a
“ring of fire” and occurs when
the Moon moves in front of
the Sun but does not cover
the Sun’s discs completely.
The National Space Research
and Development Agency
(NASRDA), said yesterday that
the highest degree of
obscurity in Nigeria during
this natural occurrence will
be in the southern part of the
country particularly in Lagos
where it is expected to have
80 per cent obscurity while
the lowest degree of obscurity
will be about 45 per cent and
this will be observed in the
northern part of the country,
particularly in Sokoto.
Head of Media and Corporate
Communications of NASRDA,
Dr. Felix Ale, in a statement
said the annular eclipse
would be observed as a
partial or near total eclipse
across the country with Abuja
the Federal Capital Territory
expected to be about 60 per
cent.
[b]“The annular eclipse is
expected to occur between
7:15 a.m. and 10:03 a.m. with
slight variations in actual
timing across the country.
“In Lagos, the first contact
will occur about 7:15 a.m.
while the maximum eclipse
will occur around 8:30 a.m.
and will end by 10:03 a.m.
“The eclipse is expected to
commence in Abuja around
7:17 a.m., with maximum
eclipse to be recorded about
8:32 a.m. and the eclipse will
end around 10:00 a.m.”
Ale also reminded Nigerians
that eclipse is not a spiritual
issue but a natural occurrence
that can be accurately
predicted by science, hence
NASRDA has developed the
capacity to accurately make
this prediction as part of its
mandate. He said the Space Agency has
also put in place a viewing
centre at her headquarters in
Abuja with the provision of
proper eclipse viewing
apparatus for school children
to observe the annular eclipse
as part of its continuous
efforts to expose Nigerians,
especially students to matters
concerning astronomical
environment.[/b]
[b]NASRDA, however, warned
that observing the solar
eclipse with naked eyes could
lead to permanent damage to
the eyes, as the obstruction
does not reduce the
luminosity of the sun.[/b]
[b]An annular eclipse occurs
when the sun and moon are
exactly in line, but the
apparent size of the moon is
smaller than that of the sun.
Hence the sun appears as a
very bright ring or annulus
surrounding the dark disk of
the moon,” Ale said.
Also, millions of people in the
U.S. will witness something
spectacular on August 21,
2017, when a total eclipse of
the sun sweeps across the
country, the first to occur in
the country since 1979 (and
the first to go coast-to-coast
since 1918).[/b]
[b]According to a story published in ScienceNews, the
roughly 120-kilometer-wide
path of totality created by the
moon’s shadow will travel
through 12 states, from
Oregon to South Carolina. And
although it is still a year
away, researchers and non-
researchers alike are gearing
up to make the most of this
rare spectacle- they would not
get another chance in the U.S.
until 2024.[/b]
[b]Eclipse enthusiasts are
expected to travel to the US
from all over the world to
experience up to nearly three
minutes of midday twilight
and glimpse the seldom-seen
solar corona, a halo of light
from plasma that will frame
the blacked-out sun.
Though some of the corona is
visible all the time to a few
telescopes in space, the region
where the corona meets the
surface is masked by the
sun’s intensity. For
researchers, the 2017 eclipse
is another chance to connect
what they see on the surface
of the sun to what’s
happening in the outer
reaches of the corona.[/b]
:mrgreen:
[b]pleasant morning coolvalers[/b]
