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.