Most of the country will witness ring solar eclipse this weekend
Most of the country will witness ring solar eclipse this weekend
By Dr. Moedji Raharto
BANDUNG (Antara): Most parts of the country will witness a
solar eclipse on Saturday when, during the day, the sky will get
dark like twilight or daybreak for a brief period.
At that time a ring solar eclipse will be visible in North
Sumatra, Riau, East Kalimantan and North Sulawesi. This natural
phenomenon is so named because while the eclipse is in progress,
the sun assumes the shape of a ring.
Other parts of the country will see partial solar eclipses.
The celestial light show will start and end at different times in
different areas.
In Aceh it will start at 6:11 a.m., in Jakarta at 6:18 a.m. in
Surabaya at 6:22 a.m., in Denpasar at 6:25 a.m. and in Jayapura
at 6:56 a.m.
The partial solar eclipse will last on average between two
hours 21 minutes and three hours 50 minutes.
The very moment of the ring solar eclipse itself will be
relatively briefly, less than three minutes. In some places, it
will be less than one minute.
The ring solar eclipse will measure about 7 percent of the
total surface area of the sun. This type of eclipse can be
clearly witnessed if the sky is clear in the eastern horizon in
the places the eclipse passes.
The position, orbit and size of the earth, the moon and the
sun in our galaxy allows people on earth to witness a partial
solar eclipse, a total solar eclipse, a ring solar eclipse, a
partial lunar eclipse and a total lunar eclipse.
Although the moon passes the ecliptic, the path of the sun in
the sky, while traveling round the earth every month, it does not
mean there is a solar or lunar eclipse every month.
An eclipse occurs if the sun and moon are in close proximity
to the node between the lunar orbit and the ecliptic. The lunar
orbital surface will make an angle of almost 6 degrees toward the
ecliptical area, the area made by the earth's orbit round the
sun.
The sun is practically always in the ecliptic. A lunar or
solar eclipse does not occur every month because of the slanting
position maintained by the lunar orbit against the ecliptical
area.
The lunar orbit and the ecliptic meet at two nodes, the
ascending node and the descending node. If the full moon and the
dark moon phases occur close to these nodes, there will be either
a solar or lunar eclipse.
Observation
Various forms of a ring-shaped sun will be seen during a ring
solar eclipse, depending on the position of the observer and the
phases of the eclipse.
If you wish to observe this solar eclipse either with or
without the help of binoculars, telescopes or cameras you must
prepare a solar ray filter to prevent damaging your eyes.
If you would like to take pictures of the eclipse, don't
forget to provide your camera with a solar ray neutralizing
filter.
Another simple, safe and cheap way to observe an eclipse is to
look at it through a " needle-made-hole camera". This device is
easy to make. You simply have to take a piece of cardboard. Then
use a needle to make a hole on the cardboard. When the eclipse is
going on, place the "camera" in the position of the sun and then
find the small shadow of the sun on the projection area of the
shadow (a piece of typing paper). Then adjust the distance
between the "camera" and the projection area of the solar shadow.
This solar shadow on the projection area is safe to look at with
naked eyes.
Solar eclipses are God's gift to mankind on earth. Human
beings must thank God for this gift and use it to benefit their
lives. However, will other creatures find this phenomenon
perplexing?
Human beings give diverse responses to the occurrence of a
ring solar eclipse. In the olden days, until the past decade,
people used to be overwhelmed by fear and apprehension when they
saw a solar eclipse because they thought it was a bad omen,
usually linked to impending disasters or social upheavals.
To people in those days, the occurrence of a solar eclipse
meant that an evil power had succeeded in extinguishing the sun,
regarded by most as the source of life on earth. Therefore, when
an eclipse occurred, people would beat bamboo drums to scare away
the evil eclipse
Solar eclipse enthusiasts now welcome with jubilation the
arrival of this natural phenomenon because it is an opportunity
for them to witness and better understand the eclipse.
Today, with the benefit of progress, solar eclipses are now
understood as simply a phenomenon occurring when the moon's
penumbra and antiumbra come into contact with the surface of the
earth.
However, the presence of a solar eclipse should not only be
rationally understood but also be regarded as an opportune
occasion to deepen one's belief in the power of God the Almighty.
The writer is the head of the School of Astronomy, Bandung
Institute of Technology.