TODAY.AZ / Society

Azerbaijan to witness 2 lunar, 3 solar eclipses

24 November 2017 [16:35] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews


By Aygul Salmanova

Long since eclipses of the Sun and the Moon fascinated people with the mystery and beauty of what is happening. From January 2018 to January 2019, the world will witness as many as five eclipses, three lunar and two solar.

Khidir Mikayilov, Deputy Director of Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory named after Nasiraddin Tusi for Scientific Affairs of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) told local media the dates when the eclipses are expected to occur.

Mikayilov said that the first lunar eclipse will start on January 31 at 15:48 and noted that these eclipses are called central eclipses.

"Namely, the eclipse will take place from the Earth's equatorial part with the Moon been in the equatorial zone of the Earth. In this case, the Moon will pass through the center of the Earth's shadow. Therefore, this is called central eclipse".

He said that the complete end of the eclipse will occur at 19:11.

Mikayilov also revealed the date of the second lunar eclipse. The official said that the second lunar eclipse will take place on July 28.

"The natural event will start at 22:24. The beginning of full eclipse will take place at 23:30 and will end at 01:13. Complete end of the eclipse will be recorded at 02:19 and lunar surface will be fully open. It will be possible to observe second eclipse in Azerbaijan as it will take place at night". 

The observatory official noted that three solar eclipses will occur in the country in 2018, which are expected to be partial.

"Namely, eclipses will occur in the small portion of the Sun. Two out of the three solar eclipses will be observed on the south hemisphere and one on the northern hemisphere. No full solar eclipses will occur next year. It will take place in a maximum of 70 percent of the Sun".

The inhabitants of the Earth will not be able to see total solar eclipses in the coming 2018. In case of partial solar eclipses, however, three are expected to be observed.

The natural event will occur at 22:55 Baku time and continue also on February 16. That is, the eclipse will reach the maximum at 00:51 and end at 02:47. The natural event will be observed in the southern part of South America and Antarctica.

The second solar eclipse will take place on July 13 at 05:48. The maximum will be at 07:01 and the end at 08:13. The eclipse will be observed between outskirts of Australia and Antarctica, which are almost unsettled.

The third solar eclipse will begin on August 11 at 12:02 with maximum been at 13:46 and ending at 15:30.

"The last eclipse will be observed on the northern hemisphere, which will be observable almost everywhere in Russia. The process will begin in the East Asia region and will cover all parts of Russia," noted Mikayilov.

The sun, the moon and the earth constantly rotate relative to each other, but at certain points they line up in a single line. At this point, an eclipse occurs, which has received its name for the fact that one cosmic body closes another.

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.

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 solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth. 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.

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