Rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse to pass over northern Africa on Sept1

New Delhi,Sept1: People can spectate a rare burning ring of fire in the skies of Africa on Thursday. The moon will glide between the sun and the earth blocking most of the light and darkening the sky above the continent.

This spectacle is known as an annular eclipse and sometimes also referred to as ‘ring of fire’ eclipse.

Unlike the regular total solar eclipse, an annular eclipse occurs when the moon does not totally block out the sun.

Early on September 1, the moon will pass directly between the Earth and the sun, casting its shadow across Earth’s surface. Those in the path of the shadow, mainly in southern Africa, will be able to look up and see a spectacular event — an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse.

There will only be three more annular eclipses this decade.

While the full eclipse will only be seen in a small 60-mile-wide path, much of the African continent will be able to see at least a partial eclipse.

According to NASA, the eclipse will pass over the countries of Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique. The longest eclipse will occur in Tanzania.

For people on the ground, this eclipse will appear as a strange ring in the sky spectacular showcasing the circular shadows.

Precautions to be taken:

A small amount of radiation from the sun is enough to burn your retinas, thus damaging your eyes severely. It’s better to wear eclipse glasses before viewing this rare eclipse in order to save your eyes and view this spectacular site clearly.

If you happen to be in Africa for the show, remember: It’s a really, really bad idea to stare straight at the sun, even when the moon is covering most of it. The intensity of light radiating from a partial or whole eclipse can still cause retinal damage. “Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface (the photosphere) is obscured during the partial phases of a solar eclipse, the remaining crescent Sun is still intense enough to cause a retinal burn, even though illumination levels are comparable to twilight,” NASA explains.

The safest way to observe an eclipse is indirectly — either by projecting it onto a screenthrough a pinhole or by looking through a specially designed filter.