![]() ![]() It takes about two hours for the Moon to move across the face of the Sun, but the "ring of fire" peak lasts a mere minute. Locals in the province of Chubut around Sarmiento said they noted changes in the height of the tide and animals acting unusually.Įxperts say that as the day darkens, birds and animals enter a night-time routine, thinking sunset is nigh.Īt the height of the eclipse the Moon is right in the middle of the Sun, leaving a perfect ring of light around the edge. "As about 90 percent of the Sun is covered, you'll notice a distinct drop in temperature and brightness, and a change in the quality of the light which is hard to describe," Moseley told AFP. ![]() The gaps between tree leaves make for a similar effect on the ground, says the ASSA website, calling this "the coolest and safest way to watch a solar eclipse". Punch a tiny hole in a piece of paper with a sharp pencil, hold it into the Sun, and project the image onto a second sheet. Terry Moseley of the Irish Astronomical Association warned that viewers should not observe the eclipse with the naked eye.Īccording to the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA), such eclipses can be safely observed using a basic pinhole projector. "It's just I didn't manage to see it that well as it hurt my eyes."Īn annular solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun line up.īut even when perfectly aligned, the Moon is too far from Earth to completely block out the Sun, creating instead the impression of a fiery ring. "It's the first time that I've witnessed this phenomenon-I'm completely happy," said stargazer Providencia Luzolo. ![]() In Angola's capital Luanda, few seemed aware of the unusual event in the skies above, but those with forewarning got a glimpse of the eclipse for around 15 minutes from 1630 GMT. The spectacle passed on to Angola south of the town of Benguela, then Zambia and DR Congo just before the Sun set. "I have already seen six annular eclipses and each one was different," said Josep Masalles Roman, an enthusiast who came all the way from Barcelona in Spain. Several onlookers blew notes on "erkes," long traditional South American horns. The eclipse was most visible in a 100-kilometer (62-mile) band across Chile, Argentina, Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.Īround 300 stargazers gathered in a remote spot near the southern city of Sarmiento, the point in Argentina where the eclipse left just a bright ring in the dark sky. Staring up through special telescopes, protective glasses or homemade cardboard pinhole devices, they watched the Sun all but disappear briefly as the Moon crossed its path. Astronomers and enthusiasts in Argentina were among the first to see the so-called annular eclipse as it crossed South America shortly after 1200 GMT, on course for Africa. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |