Century’s longest solar eclipse to come on July 22

^- ⁺ A^- A⁺ 10/06/2009

The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century will take place on July 22. From almost everywhere in Vietnam people will be able to see a partial eclipse. The best locations for observation are Ha Giang province, Hanoi, HCM City and Can Tho.

The Vietnam Astronomy and Space Association’s Nguyen Duc Phuong said that the total eclipse will be witnessed within a 258km-wide strip running nearly half-way around the globe.

The phenomenon will first be observed in India, then Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China and far out in the Pacific. A partial eclipse will be observed in a larger strip, including most of East Asia and the Pacific. In most of Vietnam, people will only be able to see a partial eclipse at around 8.11am.

The best location for observing the phenomenon in Vietnam is the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, with the maximum coverage of 75.8 percent, at 8.11am. The maximum coverage is smaller in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, with 25.5% at 8.11.40am, HCM City 27.4 percent at 8.13.04am, and Hanoi 67.5% at 8.11.50am.

The best site to observe the phenomenon in the world is in the Pacific Ocean, with the maximum time of 6.39 minutes, at 9.35am, Hanoi time. This will be the longest total solar eclipse in the 21st century.

Phuong said that there are 2-5 solar eclipses a year but a total eclipse is rare. Some years don’t see total eclipses but some have as many as two. Total eclipses often take place within a very short time, rarely exceeding 7.31 minutes. There are only around 10 total eclipses of over 7 minutes every 1,000 years. The latest eclipse of 7.3 minutes was recorded on June 30, 1973.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.

A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The intensely bright disk of the Sun is replaced by the dark silhouette of the Moon, and the much fainter corona is visible. During any one eclipse, totality is visible only from at most a narrow track on the surface of the Earth.

Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon' + char(39)+ N's umbra.

A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The 1999 total eclipse in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the 2005 annular eclipse and the 2006 total eclipse. The most recent solar eclipse occurred on January 26, 2009, and was an annular eclipse.

In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.

Source: VietNamNet

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