Wednesday, February 3, 2016
BRUNEI will experience a partial solar eclipse on March 9.
According to the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam, the solar
eclipse will be visible in Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and locations in
the Pacific Ocean.
While the total phase of the solar eclipse will not be visible in
Brunei, it can still be observed as a partial solar eclipse for those in
the sultanate.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the moon comes between the sun and
the earth, but do not align in a perfectly straight line. Because of
this, the moon only covers part of the sun’s disc.
The eclipse, which will start at 7.30am, will last for about two hours and 24 minutes in Brunei.
The maximum phase of the eclipse will occur at 8.37am with the moon covering 76.5 per cent of the sun’s disc.
The partial eclipse will end when the moon leaves the sun’s edge at 9.54am.
The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam posted a warning on its
Facebook page that looking directly at the sun can lead to burns at the
back of the eye and permanent blindness.
Indirect viewing of the sun is recommended. This can be done by using
a pinhole projection method, a solar filter or solar glasses.
Hj Khairul Abidin, head technician at the Survey Department, said the
department is currently in talks to organise a public viewing of the
phenomenon at the Berakas Secondary School football field.
Another rare astronomical phenomenon, one which will happen for the first time in a decade, will also be visible in the country.
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will be visible from Earth,
appearing in a diagonal row before dawn or around the time after the
call of the dawn prayer.
According to the Huffington Post, the phenomenon started on January
20 and will continue to occur every early morning until February 20.
The last time it occured was between December 15, 2004 and January 15, 2005.
Hj Khairul said the phenomenon can be seen from the city and
residential areas with the naked eye, given that the sky is not cloudy.
To view it, he said, look towards the eastern horizon that is free from
obstructions to locate Mercury.
The other planets will be easily visible because they are in the sky.
He said the Astronomy Department will be conducting an observation
and has welcomed the public to join them at the Old Airport area parking
lot at 5am on February 7.
The Brunei Times
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