Durbanites gaze skywards to catch partial eclipse
Durbanites are invited to join the Astronomical Society of South Africa at the Durban Botanic Gardens to view a partial solar eclipse.
SKYGAZERS will be gathering in the Durban Botanic Gardens to view the annular solar eclipse on Thursday 1 September, which will be visible as a partial eclipse to observers in Durban. The eclipse which begins in the mid-Atlantic, and whose line of totality stretches over central African countries and Madagascar, is unfortunately too far north to be visible in its entirety for local viewers.
Durbanites are expected to gather in great numbers to see the unusual spectacle at the Durban Botanic Gardens.
“The last time a partial annular eclipse occurred in Durban was in January 2009. We did not expect a large crowd on a workday Monday morning, but hundreds of people turned up,” said Logan Govender, media director of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa.
The eclipse is expected to begin at 9.48am local time and will reach its maximum at 11.17am after which the moons will slowly move away and the eclipse will end just after noon at 12.47pm.
“We once again invite the public to have breakfast with us. Spread out a blanket on the lawns of the garden, bring food and drink and enjoy this spectacle in safety. The Society has special viewers, solar telescopes and filters to enable people to watch the eclipse without damage to their eyes. It is extremely dangerous to look at the sun without protective eye-ware. One should never look at the sun as it can lead to severe damage to the eye, even blindness,” warned Govender.
