KITION PLANETARIUM & OBSERVATORY

REPORT ON ANNULAR ECLIPSE SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020

Observers all over Cyprus got up nice and early to watch the shadow of the moon pass across the Sun.

At KITION PLANETARIUM AND OBSERVATORY our team advised and informed the public how to watch the eclipse safely in the days preceding the event.

We carried out observations safely on our premises using a variety of methods. From the high tech methods with solar telescopes, telescopes with UV light filters, and tracking mounts, to the lower tech, but equally stunning methods using solar viewing spectacles and pinhole cameras.

Here in Cyprus we observed a partial phase of the eclipse, the Moon’s shadow covered 37% of the Sun at maximum, but along a narrow band of the Earth, not too far from our island, people were treated with observations of the full Annular Eclipse. We have to wait just over 2 years to see another eclipse of the Sun from our island. The next one will be partial, and it occurs on 25th October 2022. Save the date, especially if you missed it this time round. It is a truly stunning site.

Katie Demetriou (Space Scientist) KITION PLANETARIUM & OBSERVATORY

Download the Annular Eclipse 21 June 2020 Report in PDF format

ECLIPSE PHOTOS

On Sunday 21 June 2020 the phenomenon of an Annular Solar Eclipse was observed from some places on Earth. An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving the Sun's visible outer edges to form a “Ring of Fire” or annulus around the Moon.

Annular Solar Eclipse “The Ring of Fire”

Solar eclipses happen when the New Moon casts a shadow on Earth. The Moon's shadow is not big enough to cover the whole Earth, therefore the shadow is always limited to a certain area. This area changes during the eclipse because the Moon and Earth are in constant motion. The Earth rotates around its own axis and at the same time it orbits the Sun, and the Moon orbits the Earth. Solar eclipses are only visible from within the area where the shadow falls, and the closer you are to the center of the shadow's path, the bigger the eclipse looks.

An Annular solar eclipse can only take place when we have a New Moon. In addition, the Moon’s position should be such so that the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are aligned in a straight or nearly straight line. Furthermore, the Moon should be near its farthest point from Earth, called apogee, so the outer edge of the Sun remains visible as a ring of sunlight.

In Cyprus, the annular phase of this solar eclipse was not be visible, but it could be observed as a partial solar eclipse.

CAUTION! PROTECT YOUR HEALTH, PROTECT YOUR EYES!!!

Never look at the Sun, eclipsed or otherwise, without proper eye protection.

The Sun’s rays can burn the retinas in the eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness.

A safe way to watch a solar eclipse is to wear protective eclipse glasses or to project an image of the eclipsed Sun using a pinhole camera.

LOLCAL TYPE: PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

1st contact Partial Eclipse begins: Sunday 21 June 2020, 7:33

Maximum Eclipse: Sunday 21 June 2020, 8:28

(No 2nd and 3rd Contacts for Cyprus since annularity is not visible)

4th Contact Partial Eclipse ends: Sunday 21 June 2020, 9:28

Magnitude at Maximum: 0.38 Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes