Info: Solar Eclipse July 2009
Asia braces for total solar eclipse:
Vast swathes of India and China and the southern Japanese islands are to be plunged into darkness for more than six minutes.
Thousands of amateur stargazers and scientists have travelled to what were expected to be the best places to observe the eclipse.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is caught between the sun and the Earth while each of them moves along their fixed orbits. Astronomers hope the eclipse would help to improve their understanding of the sun as it would offer a prolonged view of the sun's corona.
Meanwhile an astrologer in Burma predicted the event could usher in chaos. Some in India advised pregnant relatives to stay indoors to follow a centuries-old tradition of avoiding the sun's invisible rays.
The eclipse was to move east across India, Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China before hitting the Pacific.
The previous total eclipse, in August 2008, lasted two minutes and 27 seconds. This one was due to last 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point.
Poor weather was expected to spoil the view in Shanghai, initially thought by scientists to be one of the best spots to watch the eclipse.
The next total solar eclipse will be on July 11 next year, but far fewer people are likely to see it as it tracks across the South Pacific over French Polynesia and Easter Island to the southern tip of South America.(Source)
Solar eclipse:
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.[1] Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra.
A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The 1999 total eclipse in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the 2005 annular eclipse and the 2006 total eclipse. The recent solar eclipse of January 26, 2009 was an annular eclipse (see below), while the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was a total solar eclipse.
In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.(Source)
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