Cape Town Best Place to View Partial Solar Eclipse

The last partial solar eclipse for several years, on 26 January 2009, will be best viewed from Cape Town

On Monday 26 January 2009 a partial eclipse of the sun will be visible from South Africa, and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) has stated that Cape Town will be the best place from which to view this intriguing natural phenomenon.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow on the earth.

This solar eclipse will be the best that South Africans have the chance to witness for several years to come, and will be 65% visible from Cape Town, so make sure that you gaze skywards on Monday 22 January from 7am to 9.30am. At 8.15am the eclipse will be at its greatest.

But be careful, it’s dangerous to look directly at the sun, particularly during an eclipse.

SAAO states that during the eclipse there will be a number of public viewing sites all across Cape Town and the rest of the country at schools, planetariums, science centres, malls, restaurants, even peoples’ homes – a list of sites is available on the IYA2009 website – where the public can safely view the eclipse through appropriate filters. There are also is also a list of places on the website where one can obtain eclipse viewers.

Welders’ goggles or the filters for welder’s goggles with a rating of 14 or higher are safe to use for looking directly at the sun, and don’t cost much.

The partial eclipse of the sun will coincide with the launch of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009, the department of science and technology said, which will be officially launched at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town.

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