MUSCAT: The Earth will witness a solar eclipse on Tuesday and the Sultanate of Oman’s sky too will witness a partial solar eclipse in a number of wilayats. The total duration of the partial solar eclipse is 127 minutes between 2.50 pm to 5.00 pm on Tuesday
The astronomer Youssef Al-Salmi said that the solar eclipse will include most of the northern governorates of the Sultanate and it will be more in the Musandam Governorate.
A partial solar eclipse means less than 30% of the Sun will be eclipsed by the Moon when viewed from the Sultanate. The maximum eclipse is scheduled to take place here at 3:57pm. The eclipse will end with the day’s sunset.
Read More
The Omani Astronomical Society, in cooperation with the Department of Astronomical Affairs at the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and others, will organize events for the general public to witness the eclipse which will be announced later.
“The period and timing of the eclipse will start from 2:50 and continue until 5:00 pm, that is, it will last about two hours, and its peak will be at 3:57 pm,” Al Salmi said and added that there are no effects or changes in the weather condition after the eclipse as this is a natural phenomenon and is repeated from time to time.
Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between Sun and Earth and blocks the light of the sun, casting a shadow onto Earth.
The Omani Astronomical Society issued safety procedures to be followed while observing the solar eclipse: One should not look at the eclipse with the naked eye or directly as it may damage the retina of the eye.
The Omani meteorological report for Tuesday (on October 25 for 24 hours from 7am), indicated that it will be generally clear in most of the governorates, with the possibility of forming low clouds or fog at night or early morning in parts of the southern governorates.
In 2022, the first eclipse occurred on April 30 while the second and the last solar eclipse will occur on Tuesday, October 25. Both are partial ones. Tuesday’s solar eclipse will start in the afternoon and can be seen in the Sultanate only for 127 minutes from 2:50pm and before sunset. The eclipse can be viewed from all parts of the Sultanate, the visibility of the eclipse will vary between different areas.
Dos and Don’ts during solar eclipse
Do not look at the Sun with naked eyes, through binoculars or telescopes even for a very short duration. People can use eclipse glasses to witness the eclipse safely.
Indirect projection is one of the safest ways of watching the solar eclipse, while a telescope, pinhole camera, or camera display can also be used to watch the eclipse. The camera display can incur some damage in the process.
Directly watching a solar eclipse can cause permanent damage to one’s retinas because of high-density radiation from the sun’s photosphere.
Use a light filter like black polymer, aluminized Mylar or welding glass of shade number 14.
Alternatively, you can also project the sun’s image on a whiteboard using a telescope.
