[AstroNet] Annular Solar Eclipse on Friday 15th January and Astronomy evening on Saturday the 16th January in Louis Trichardt

[Kos Coronaios]

Don't forget the partial eclipse on Friday the 15th and the 
Soutpansberg Astronomy Club's stargazing evening 
on Saturday the 16th of January.

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         ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE 15th JANUARY 2010
 

The only eclipse visible from Southern Africa in 2010 is the annular eclipse on the morning of January the 15th.  A 19% partial eclipse is predicted for Musina, while Louis Trichardt will be slightly less.

   

The 300 km wide track starts in central Africa at 05:14 UT, the path of the Moon's shadow passes through African countries on or near the equator such as (Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia).  For the next two hours, the antumbra crosses the Indian Ocean, its course slowly curving from east-southeast to northeast.  The instant of greatest eclipse occurs at 07:06:33 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.9190.  At this instant, the duration of annularity is 11 minutes 8 seconds, the path width is 333 kilometres and the Sun is 66° above the flat horizon formed by the open ocean.  

Such a long annular duration will not be exceeded for over 1000 years (3043 Dec 23).

The shadow carries on towards The Maldives, the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka, Burma and into China crossing the Himalayas before leaving the Earth surface at the Shandong Peninsula at 08:59 UT.

 

           Mid eclipse on the 26th Jan 2009, 25% cover

                as seen from Louis Trichardt, S.Africa.


 

Times below are SAST of the partial eclipse on the 15th Jan. 2010 for the locations below in Limpopo Province, South Africa.


 



      LOCATION
     

      START
     

      CENTRAL
          

          END
     Magnitude of Eclipse
     START & END ALTITUDE & AZIMUTH
     
       

      Louis Trichardt





      Musina

       

       

      Polokwane

       



      Tzaneen
      

      06:30:55.9

       

       

      06:28:5938

       

       

      06:33:34.9

       

       

      06:31:57.8
      

      07:25:26.3

       

       

      07:25:07.3

       

       

      07:25:34.9

       

       

      07:26:02.1
      

      08:26:51.6

       

       

      08:28:46.2

       

       

      08:23:47.1

       

       

      08:26:54.9
     

      0.276


       

       

      0.296

       

       

       0.248





      0.267




     12º 8´ / 107.8º

      38.6º / 99.2º

       

      12.2º / 108.1º

      39.1º / 99.7º

       

      13.2º / 107.5º

      37.7º / 98.9º

       

      13.6º / 107.4º

      39.2º / 98.7º




     

 

Eclipse calculations above are by Fred Espenakhttp at: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2010Jan15Agoogle.html 

      WARNING:  Never look at the Sun without proper protection.  PERMANENT BLINDNESS can result from the shortest look through binoculars or a telescope.
     


       

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Join the SOUTPANSBERG ASTRONOMY CLUB for an evening of stargazing on Saturday the 16th January from sunset onwards.

For the keen photographer bring your camera and tripod and come and try your hand at astrophotography, piggy-back your camera on a Meade 10" or at prime focus if you have a Canon DSLR.

* Contact Kos Coronaios on +079 148 4934 for further information *

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