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Showing posts with label astronomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label astronomy. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

How To Watch Annular Solar Eclipse September 1, 2016 - The African Ring of Fire Aka 2016 Annular Solar Eclipse Event

A rare event is going to happen on September 01, 2016 and bear witness to the African Annular Solar Eclipse 2016, were most part of the continent of Africa will be covered and visible on Thursday were a Ring of Fire will rise and set over the African continent, as an Annular Solar Eclipse passes over a large portion of the globe. Aka Annular Solar Eclipse, the ring of fire will begin at one end of the continent, very early in the morning, and end on the other side, off the coast of the famous island of Madagascar. While the full eclipse will only be visible along a very thin line through central Africa, partial phases will be visible on nearly the entire continent. If you can't make it in going to Africa, that's fine because a live feed will show you on how to watch the annular solar eclipse as well as where to watch it online via live streaming online. Make no mistake, The Partial Eclipse visibilty covers Africa, Indian Ocean while Annular Eclipse perse covers Atlantic, central Africa and Madagascar. So the rest of Africa will just enjoy a partial solar eclipse on September 1st, from Aswan, Egypt (where you'd see a tiny 3% of the Sun's disk covered) to 69% coverage in Nairobi, Kenya, to 40% in Pretoria, South Africa. Be warned! since you will be looking an obscured sun, it is always to be cautious and always put safety goggles or to avoid permanent eye damage and blindness, you should probably sport some protective eye-wear or wear an eclipse glasses just to make sure.



In other words an Annular Eclipse is similar to a Total Solar Eclipse wherein the Moon moves directly between the Earth and the Sun. But, unlike during a Total Solar Eclipse, the Moon does not completely obscure the Sun. During an Annular Eclipse, the Moon is farther away from the Earth, making it appear smaller. Therefore, the Moon only covers most of the solar disk, hence, leaving a “ring of fire” around the outer edge. During totality it is very exciting to watch the annular solar eclipse because the ring of fire it resembles is similar to that of the lord of the rings that is bursting with flame. Again it will be visible from Madagascar and locations in Central Africa. The Moon's shadow will also cross parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. For most viewers in Africa, the eclipse will be a partial solar eclipse but in Madagascar it should be total. The eclipse will begin at 06:13 UTC on September 1, 2016. The maximum point will take place at 09:01 UTC, and the annularity will last for 3 minutes and 6 seconds which is pretty cool right? and simply because whenever you look or gazed on it, it's like there a key hole or portal in the the sky that takes you somewhere else across the universe:-) It is definitely not another so called apocalyptic event to watch for nor something about planet Proxima b and alien signals detected whatsoever. So, whether you are just planning to go on a safari in the great plains of Africa or simply enjoying Madagascar, always remember that an Annular Solar Eclipse is going to happen and Africa is in the spotlight after all this is Africa! :-)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Total Solar Eclipse March 20, 2015: Visible in Faroe Islands and Partial In Europe


Brace yourself as Total Solar Eclipse on March 20, 2015 unfolds which will be visible in the Faroe Islands and Svalbard in Norway while a Partial Solar Eclipse will occur in Europe including northern and eastern Asia and northern and western Africa as the eclipse will start at 07:41 UTC and ends at 11:50 UTC with a magnitude of 1.045 and the longest duration of totality will be at 2 minutes 47 seconds off the coast of the Faroe Islands. It will be the last total solar eclipse visible in Europe before another one happens on August 12, 2026 were man might have landed already on Mars during that time. What I'm trying to say is that it would be to long before another eclipse will happen so people in Scotland and parts of Europe must not miss this rare astronomical event. In case you don't know yet, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. It happens, I mean the total solar eclipse, when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's thereby blocking all direct sunlight in which turning daytime into darkness while roosters feels uneasy because all of a sudden it will become dark, just like what happened in the movie Apocalypto, when Almost was about to be beheaded, He was saved by the Total Eclipse of the sun because people during that time worship the Sun and for an eclipse to happen means something a lot for them. By the way you should see the diamond ring effect during solar eclipse and Solar eclipse was Einstein's best friend so find out why:-)

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Considered to be the first and only total solar eclipse of 2015, it crosses the far-northern reaches of the north Atlantic Ocean on the morning of March 20, 2015 and lucky observers on the Faroe Islands and few northern island outposts will be treated with the total eclipse while most of Europe can see at least a partial solar eclipse, but that's not bad at all. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide and at the end of its path, the shadow of the Moon rises from Earth's surface to space at the north pole so March 20th is the Northward equinox, the eclipse occurs as the Sun rises at the North Pole after six months. And one last thing, as a precaution, please DO NOT look the sun directly with your naked eye, instead use a filter or safety glasses to block out the intense radiation from the sun because if not you will know what happen then and your guess is good as mine:-)

Monday, January 26, 2015

ASTEROID 2004 BL86 - A Potentially Hazardous Asteroid And Massive Zips Past Earth Today


On Monday January 26, 2015 a space rock a size of a mountain will zip past the Earth at 745,000 miles or 1.2 million kilometers which is about 3 lunar distance or distance between Earth and the moon. A giant asteroid which is about the size of a three football field which is about 1,800 feet or 550 meters wide named ASTEROID 2004 BL86 will have it's interplanetary journey particularly near the Earth-Moon system and describe to be an asteroid bigger than the world's most massive cruise ships in which if it were sitting on the Earth, it would be as tall as Toronto's CN Tower according to sources. But no worries as this huge asteroid categorize to be PHA or potentially hazardous asteroid or even Near Earth Asteroid will not fall on Earth otherwise the world as we know it will come to an end. Near Earth Asteroid 2004 BL86 is an eye-opening reminder of the potential risks of asteroid impacts and the importance of acquiring and tracking asteroid orbits because it is estimated that while 90 percent of the kilometer plus sized asteroids have been discovered, only 30% of the 140 meter-sized NEA's have been found with less than 1 percent of the 30-meter sized NEA's having been detected which means, your guess is good as mine.

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The distance of Asteroid 2004 BL86 is in a safe distance though closer than any other asteroid this big will come until 2027, it's the year when we can expect a visit from another asteroid called 1999 AN 10. The huge asteroid will probably be easiest to find around 11 p.m. ET when it will be to the right of the planet Jupiter and between the constellations Leo and Gemini and it will look like a slow moving star or satellite according to Randy Attwood, executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada plus NASA will also be watching the asteroid to capture images and data using its Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will also be following the close approach. So worry no more but relax and enjoy the night sky because this is something that doesn't happen every single day or maybe not:-)