* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Annular Eclipse

Blobrana · L

Thousands of office workers in Spain and Portugal streamed into streets on today to watch the annular eclipse.
The moon covered 90% of the sun, and was visible along a narrow band across the Iberian peninsula, the first time it had been seen there since 1764.
A partial eclipse was also seen within a broader path of the moon's penumbral shadow, which includes Europe, western Asia, the Middle East, India and most of Africa.

The eclipse seen from Spain. Courtesy Jorge Caetano Alves

"What really surprised me was the drop in the temperature, it's now quite cold" - Luis Obiols, meteorologist watching the sky from Madrid's Planetarium.

The whole process lasted about two-and-a-half hours, while the eclipse proper -- with the moon at the centre of the sun took about four minutes.
Hundreds of people in central and northern Portugal went outdoors, with special glasses to see the eclipse. They were dressed in thick jackets because of the sudden cold.
In the north African countries of Morocco and Algeria, bad weather spoiled the event for many people.
Schools closed and mosques in both countries called for special prayers.

"I got all set for the big day, the telescope, the camera and the filters, but the sky is not clear. I guess I will have to wait for God knows how many years" - Abdellatif Hafid, science university lecturer in Rabat.

-- Edited by Blobrana at 13:31, 2005-10-03

Blobrana · L

Tunisia Douz, 12:02

Blobrana · L

Mira Public Observatory, Grimbergen, Belgium broadcast this image from some 80 km from Valencia (Spain).

Expand (79kb, 1024 x 683)

Blobrana · L

Blobrana · L

Superb images from Madrid.

Blobrana · L

Aberdeen 10:20 BST.

-- Edited by Blobrana at 13:44, 2005-10-03

Blobrana · L

Just a quick snap from my webcam….
Aberdeen 10:00 BST.

Superb views through the telescope though...

-- Edited by Blobrana at 13:40, 2005-10-03

Blobrana · L

This is the fourth annular eclipse of the 21st century. The next total solar eclipse is on 29 March, 2006. It will traverse equatorial West Africa, the Sahara, the western Mediterranean, Turkey and Russia.

Blobrana · L

On Monday, October 03, an annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor which traverses the Iberian Peninsula and stretches across the African continent.
The moon will glide in front of the sun, producing a solar eclipse visible from Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
A "ring of fire" will emerge all around the moon. Astronomers call this an annular eclipse. The solar corona will not be visible, and a solar filter or projection is needed to observe the annular eclipse.

A partial eclipse will be seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes Europe, western Asia, the Middle East, India and most of Africa.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, 43% of the sun will be covered up, first contact is at 7:55, and Maximum at 09:02 UT.
In Madrid at 08:59 UT, for four minutes eleven seconds, 90% of the sun will be covered.
At 09:05 UT, Algiers will experience an annularity of 3 minutes 51 seconds.
At 11:30 UT, Somalia will be the antumbra's final landfall.
The eclipse path ends in the Indian Ocean, at local sunset, at 12:22 UT.

Live Web Coverage of the 2005 Annular Eclipse
The following links will provide live web coverage of the eclipse.
•Live Webcast (Madrid) - www.live-eclipse.org, JAPAN.
•Live Webcast (SPAIN) - University of North Dakota, USA.
•High Moon Webcast - Olivier Staiger, SWITZERLAND.
•Live Webcast- Saros Group Scientific Expeditions.
•Live Webcast (Aras de los Olmos, SPAIN) - MIRA Public Observatory, BELGIUM.
•Live Webcast - www.agrupacionio.com.
•Live Webcast - astro.sci.muni.cz.
•Live Webcast - www.astrogranada.org.
•Live Webcast (SPAIN) - www.ucm.es, SPAIN.
•Live Webcast - www.uai.it, ITALY.

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