Source : guardian.ng
• Phenomenon expected between 7:15 a.m. and 10:03 a.m.
• Astronomers prepare for 2017 solar eclipse spectacle
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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).
According to a story published yesterday 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.
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.
