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Combination picture shows the annular eclipse as observed in Arguzelo near the northern Portugese city of
Braganca. (Reuters).
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CAIRO,
October 3, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The world
witnesses Monday, October 3, an annular eclipse of the Sun coinciding
with the birth of the moon of the fasting month of Ramdan, a cosmic
phenomenon which happens every 560 years, Al-Jazeera television
reported, citing Egyptian astronomers.
Northern
Portugal got Monday morning the world's first glimpse of the eclipse,
when the moon began to move across the solar face, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Sightseers
flocked to the city of Braganza, in the corridor running from the
north Atlantic to northern and eastern Africa where the phenomenon can
be seen.
Countries
that lie on the path of the annular eclipse are Spain, notably in
Madrid, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Somalia.
The
maximum duration of "annularity" will be 4.31 minutes, when
the sun is high overhead in central Sudan, according to the US
publication Sky Telescope.
Cities
that lie north and south of the corridor, including Berlin, London,
Moscow, Reyjkavik, Rome, Al-Quds, Tehran and Istanbul, will get a
partial eclipse, in which the errant moon will appear to take a bite
out of the sun.
This
is fourth annular eclipse of the 21st century.
The
word "eclipse" comes from a Greek word, "ekleipsis",
which means to fail or be abandoned.
Anyone
who watches an eclipse should only use special filters, never the
naked eye, sunglasses or a makeshift object such as a colored bottle.
Even
at its darkest, an eclipsed Sun still emits light in the non-visible,
ultraviolet range of the energy spectrum, and without protection this
can badly damage the retina.
Eclipse
Path
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During an annular eclipse the Sun is totally obscured by the Moon but for a narrow ring. (Reuters).
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During
an annular eclipse the Sun is totally obscured by the Moon but for a
narrow ring, or corona, around the rim as the Moon moves between the
Sun and Earth.
The
Moon then appears as a shaded disk, with a dazzling, beaded corona
around its rim.
The
corridor in which this dramatic event can be seen is a narrow one,
snaking from the North Atlantic across the Iberian peninsula and then
to northern and eastern Africa before petering out in the Indian
Ocean, according to the US National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
The
path of the annular eclipse begins 08:41 Universal Time (UT). Rushing
southeast, the antumbra quickly reaches the northern coast of Spain
and Portugal (08:51 UT).
Bisecting
the Iberian Peninsula, the antumbra (the section of a shadow where an
annular eclipse may be viewed) engulfs Madrid (08:56 UT) which lies
near the central line.
Upon
reaching the African continent, Algiers will experience an annularity
of 03m 51s at 09:05 UT.
Following
a southeastern course, the antumbra passes through southern Tunisia
and central Libya where the Moon's umbral shadow will return six
months later during the total eclipse of 2006 Mar 29.
After
briefly skirting northern Chad, the antumbra sweeps across central
Sudan where greatest eclipse occurs at 10:31 UT.
The
central track runs along the southern Sudanese-Ethiopian border before
entering northern Kenya where it engulfs much of Lake Rudolf (11:10
UT).
Southernmost
Somalia is the antumbra's final landfall (11:30 UT) before heading
east across the Indian Ocean where the path ends at local sunset
(12:22 UT).
Total
eclipses happen about once every 18 months, although these usually
fall over the sea or uninhabited areas.
The
next total eclipse, on March 29, 2006, will traverse equatorial West
Africa, the Sahara, Western Mediterranean, Turkey and Russia.
Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) has recommended that during an eclipse
one should remember Allah, say Takbir, and to pray Salat Al-Kusoof (in
the case of a solar eclipse) or Salat Al-Khusoof (in the case of a
lunar eclipse).
Please
also read:
Solar
& Lunar Eclipses: A Muslim Perspective
Salat
Al-Kusoof: Rulings & Manners
