Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
September will begin in a spectacular fashion in Africa, as on the first of the month many people will be able to observe an extraordinary astronomical event – an annular solar eclipse.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.If you’re not on the eclipse path though, don’t worry. Astronomers at the Slooh Observatory have planned a special broadcast starting at 2.45 am EDT (7.45 am BST) tomorrow, following the event across the continent as the eclipse becomes visible in South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar, and eventually in Réunion Island.
“We’re in for one heck of a ride as we follow the Moon’s shadow as it races across the surface of the Earth at over 2,000 mph!” said Slooh host Paul Cox in a statement. “We’ll catch it from Slooh’s flagship observatory in the Canary Islands before it makes landfall and whizzes across Africa and on to Madagascar and the tiny island of Réunion.
“We’ve got a terrific lineup of expert guests on the show – everything from the science of eclipses through to how they affect us psychologically, and a look at how mankind has treated these amazing celestial events in the past.”
An annular eclipse is similar to a total eclipse, but in this case, the Moon is further away from Earth, so it doesn’t block the light of the Sun completely. This causes a stunning phenomenon known as a Ring of Fire.
The broadcast can be watched below.
You can go to Slooh.com to join and watch this live broadcast, snap and share your photos during the event, chat with audience members, interact with the hosts, and personally control Slooh’s telescopes.
