Partial Solar Eclipse Happening Tomorrow!
9 March 2016 (Wednesday) has been identified to be the day where a celestial event when partial solar eclipse will occur and Singapore residents will be able to witness it above our skies.
When exactly will the solar eclipse happen?
This phenomenon will commence around 10 minutes after sun rises (7.20am). It will reach the peak with the moon blocking out approximately 87% of the sun at around 8.23am before ending at around 9.33am. The total duration will be 2 hours and 13 minutes.
How can i participate in and witness this rare phenomenon? Can I just use my sunglass to see the eclipse?
While there is no safety concern to look directly at the moon, it is not safe to look directly at the sun, even during partial solar eclipse. Reason being, the ultraviolet and infrared rays that slipped through are still too intense and can inflict permanent eye damage.
Below are a few UNSAFE methods that you should not use:
- Solar film used in cars and household windows
- Tinted glass
- CDs or DVDs
- X-ray film
- Photographic filters
One possible tool that enable us to look at the sun safely is to use a solar filter. Another simpler method is to watch the Sun’s image projected onto a piece of paper. Here is what you can do:
- Poke a small hole in an index card with a pencil point
- Face it toward the Sun, and hold a second card three or four feet behind it in its shadow.
- The hole will project a small image of the Sun’s disk onto the lower card.
The projected image will show all the phases of the eclipse, just as the real Sun does. A large hole makes the image bright but fuzzy; a small hole makes it dim but sharp.
Alternatively, you can head down to the following places tomorrow and join other astronomy enthusiasts in catching the eclipse:
- The Singapore Science Centre will be handing out free solar glasses to visitors (while stocks last) while streaming a live broadcast of the total solar eclipse from Micronesia
- The National University of Singapore
- The Red Beacon area of Labrador Park, where the Astronomical Society of Singapore will be setting solar-filtered telescopes.
For info, the next solar eclipse is predicted to take place on 26 Dec 2019 around 1.22pm, 3 1/2 years from now.
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