Partial solar eclipse on Friday

BRUNEI will experience a partial solar eclipse on Friday, January 15, the first annular solar eclipse for 2010.

The eclipse will be fully visible across Africa, the Indian Ocean, India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.

The secretary of the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam, Hazzary Hj Ali Ahmad, said the eclipse could be seen everywhere in Brunei as long as there was a clear horizon.

According to the society's website, the eclipse is expected to start at 3.45pm, before reaching its peak at 4.42pm and end at 5.33pm.

A partial eclipse is when the moon blocks a fraction of the sun's light.

Like in previous years, the society plans to organise an event to give people a chance to better appreciate the eclipse. The venue for the sighting is not yet confirmed.

Past sightings had been held at the Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Shopping Complex in the capital and the parking areas of the Land, Survey and Town and Country Planning Department at Berakas.

"We are still waiting for approval from Yayasan Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Shopping Complex in Bandar. Once that is confirmed, we will let the public know," Hazzary said.

"We have good response from public in our previous sightings. We also provide telescopes for them," he said, adding that they also expected more telescopes to be provided by the Survey Department.

The website also warned the public against looking directly at the eclipse without the proper protection as it can badly damage the eyes.

It is also not safe to view the eclipse through sunglasses, CDs, binoculars, a telescope without a filter, or even through a camera.

The last solar eclipse in the Sultanate occurred on July 22, 2009.

Brunei will experience another partial lunar eclipse on June 26 this year. Rasidah HAB

The Brunei Times