Azerbaijanis to see solar, lunar eclipses next year

/AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

People living in Azerbaijan will have a chance to see a very rare astronomical phenomenon -- solar and lunar eclipses- next year, said Khidir Mikailov, the Deputy Director on Scientific Rresearch of Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) .

The lunar eclipse will last 4 hours and 8 minutes from 11:40 to 15:48 on March 20. The solar eclipse will reach its maximum at 13:44. In Azerbaijan the solar eclipse will last for 90 minutes.

“In Azerbaijan the solar eclipse will be observed from 13:46 to 15:18 Baku time. It will reach its maximum at 14:30. We will be able to see that the disc of the moon will cover the sun only by half,” he noted.

The solar eclipse will be partially seen in North Africa, South Asia and Europe. However, it will completely be observed in the Island, North Atlantic and in the basin of the Arctic Ocean.

An eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Nevertheless, in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as a bad omen. A total solar eclipse may frightening those people who are unaware of its astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.

As looking directly at the Sun can lead to a permanent eye damage or blindness, special eye protection method or indirect viewing techniques are used when viewing a solar eclipse.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the earth into its shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or are very close to each other with the earth in the middle. So, a lunar eclipse can only occur at nights when the Moon in its full shape. The type and length of an eclipse depends upon the moon's location relative to its orbital nodes.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the earth.

A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts only for a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the moon's shadow. Also, unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view at without any eye protection or special precautions, as they are not brighter than the full moon itself.