Annular Solar Eclipse on January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The year 2009 will feature a range of eclipses, starting with an annular solar eclipse on January 26. This particular eclipse will be visible from an area that covers the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia.
Where is the Eclipse Visible?
Sources such as NASA say that the eclipse will be seen in the larger path of the moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern third of Africa, Madagascar, many parts of Australia (except Tasmania), south-east India, south-east Asia and Indonesia, on January 26, 2009.
According to Harrington (1997), the cities of Kotabumi and Telukbetung in Indonesia will experience more than six minutes of annularity while Krakatoa (or Krakatau), which will be closer to the shadow’s edge, will experience less than five minutes of annularity. The town of Sampit, in Indonesia’s central Kalimantan province, and Samarinda, the capital of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, will witness a lopsided ring-of-fire sunset eclipse as they will be located near the southern extreme of annularity.
Eclipses in 2009
The eclipse set for January 26 is not the only eclipse that will occur in 2009. The list of eclipses for 2009 includes:
- An annular solar eclipse on January 26.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 9.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 7.
- A total solar eclipse on July 22.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 6.
- A partial lunar eclipse on December 31.
Labels: Science
