Tanzanians to witness Solar Eclipse Spectacle on Sunday

Dar es Salaam. Next Sunday from 2:05 pm afternoon until 5:30 pm, Tanzanians will be among the fortunate few to see a major celestial event that has amazed people since ancient times. 

In a few countries in Central Africa, within a narrow path beginning in the Pacific Ocean, passing through Gabon, Zaire, northern Uganda, northern Kenya near Lake Turkana, Ethiopia and ending in Somalia, people there will be even luckier. 

They will witness the Sun being completely covered up, and day will turn to night for them, at least for a short time.

How and when exactly the eclipse will happen in Tanzania

In Tanzania we will see about 70 per cent of the Sun being covered up, producing a solar crescent when viewed through eclipse glasses.

 

Starting from 2:05 pm in the afternoon, using safe eclipse viewing method, you will see the edge of the Sun begin to be covered up by the Moon’s disk.

This will progress slowly until 3:50 pm when the maximum amount of the Sun’s disk will be covered up. In northern Tanzania, more than 80 per cent of the Sun will be covered up at maximum eclipse around 4 pm while for people in southern Tanzania, 60 per cent will be covered up.

 In Dar es Salaam we expect more than two thirds of the Sun will be covered at maximum eclipse around 4 pm. At this time, the Sun will appear as a crescent when viewed though safe glasses. After the maximum eclipse around 4 pm, the crescent of the Sun will increase in size until the last of the dark edge will clear at 5:28 pm in the evening. The changes are the Sun occurs slowly over a period of more than 3 hours.

Be careful not to look directly at the sun

During the eclipse there is no need to watch the eclipse continuously and you can easily share a pair of eclipse glasses between several people.

Do not look at the eclipse with naked eyes. Make sure that you have correct viewing glasses.   If you do not have eclipse glasses, welder’s glass number 14 can be used.  The best thing is never to look at the Sun continuously. The Sun gives off extremely powerful energy so never look at the sun directly or through a telescope - you will be blinded instantly.

Besides eclipse glasses and welder glass number 14 you can watch the progress of a solar eclipse using the projection method.  You will have noticed that when sunlight comes through any small hole in a large piece of cardboard, you see a circle of light illuminated within the shadow of the cardboard.

SOURCE: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/