Nigeria to experience an Eclipse of the sun on September 1st 2016!

  The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has  predicted that there will be an eclipse of the sun across Nigeria on September 1st.

The country is set set to experience an annular solar eclipse that will be visible all over the country with different degrees of totality on September 1, 2016,

An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object is temporarily obscured, either by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer.

The term eclipse is most often used to describe either a solar eclipse, when the Moon’s shadow crosses the Earth’s surface, or a lunar eclipse or when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow.

Annular solar eclipses have a “ring of fire” and occurs when the Moon moves in front of the Sun but does not cover the Sun’s discs completely.

In a statement released the Head of media and corporate communications of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Mr. Felix Ale, said arrangement had been concluded to provide special solar filters to the public to watch the rare natural occurrence in appreciation of science and nature.

 “This natural occurence will be in the southern part of the country particularly in Lagos where it is expected to have eighty percent obscurity while the lowest degree of obscurity will be about forty five per cent and this will be observed in the northern part of the country, particularly in Sokoto.

“The annular eclipse will be observed as a partial or near-total eclipse across the nation with Abuja the Federal Capital Territory expected to be about sixty percent.

“The annular eclipse is expected to occur between 7:15am and 10:03am with slight variations in actual timing across the country.

“In Lagos, the first contact will occur at about 7:15am while the maximum eclipse will occur around 8:30am and will end by 10:03am.

“The eclipse is expected to commence in Abuja around 7:17am, with maximum eclipse to be recorded at about 8:32am and the eclipse will end around 10:00am.”

The annular eclipse, the agency advised, is not a spiritual issue but a natural occurrence that can be accurately predicted by science, adding that it has developed the capacity to accurately make this prediction as part of its mandates.

 “The Space Agency has also put in place a viewing centre at her headquarters in Abuja with provision of proper eclipse viewing apparatus for school children to observe the annular eclipse as part of its continuous programmes to expose Nigerians and students to matters concerning astronomical environment."

“While appealing to the general public not to panic or adduce any mystical interpretations to this event, it is also necessary to advise that nobody should observe eclipse with naked eyes.”

“An annular eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun. Hence the sun appears as a very bright ring or annulus surrounding the dark disk of the moon,” Ale said.

Also, millions of people in the U.S. will witness something spectacular on August 21, 2017, when a total eclipse of the sun sweeps across the country, the first to occur in the country since 1979 (and the first to go coast-to-coast since 1918).

Additional report Via;

 Thisday

Guardian Ngr