TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: 10 YEARS AFTER
On Wednesday, March 29, 2006, the moon passed in front of the sun, producing a solar eclipse visible from parts of four continents
The year 2006 was a year that stands out in the history of man’s walk with His Creator as the wondrous Year of the LORD.
Wednesday the 29th day of March, 2006 it was – exactly a decade (and three days) ago, and about nine months (less three days) that the infamous tsunami shook the world – that all eyes in fifteen nations across he globe looked up to the sky as a peculiar eclipse interrupted the bright beautiful light of the firmament and started a spread of darkness, moppingup shades of light in towns, cities and villages.
The eclipse swept across nations, from North–Eastern Brazil, through the Atlantic Ocean, Gold Coast of Africa (Ghana), Togo, Benin Republic, Nigeria, Niger Republic, Chad, Libya, Egypt, and so the spectacle moved ominously over and cross the Sahara desert, swallowing up every shade of light as God had commanded it in the Beginning.
Video and photo professionals as well as the amateurs set about recording all the wondrous, fearful movement in graphic details; the artists also drew as much as they could, but the camera lenses saw and recorded a lot more than the natural eyes could see.
So the world stood still and watched as the mighty element moved over the Mediterranean sea, to Turkey, the Black sea, Georgia, Russia Federation, Kazakhstan, and then Mongolia, in Northern China. The heavenly drama travelled thousands of kilometers and covered about 15 different countries where millions of people across the globe caught her glimpse.
It is observed however that a great many people all over the world have misconceptions about the nature of the eclipse.
When story about the coming eclipse as forecasted by Professor Pius Okeke, one time director of the Center for Basic Space Science, Nsukka, Anambra state was published, many people across board who, usually are non-scientists, have been misrepresenting eclipse as a sign for bad omen.
The response from many readers was ambivalent. Many even do their best possible to ensure that this most spectacular and fascinating of all natural phenomena, will not occur. Some of my colleagues said, ‘I bind it, I reject it, it will not occur, I cancel it, I come against it…..’, and the likes.”
In a recent discourse with Prof. Okeke on the subject, the veteran scientist explained that an eclipse happens as a result of a shadow cast by one heavenly body over another, a natural phenomenon resulting from the rectilinear propagation of light.
“Due to evolution of the earth round the sun, and that of the moon round the earth, there are times when these three bodies all lie in a straight line. If the moon is between the sun and the earth is in this alignment, a shadow of the moon will be cast on the surface of the earth.
“This means that the view of the sun from the region of the shadow on the earth is blotted out by the moon totally or partially, an occurrence classified as ‘eclipse of the sun’.
“To a scientist, this is not a mystery because during this period, a portion of earth is in the shadow cast by the moon. Since the sun is a very large source of light, this shadow consists of a completely dark region known as ‘umbra’ and a partially dark region known as ‘penumbra’.
“Such event is considered a total solar eclipse for people in the completely dark region (umbra) while people in the partial dark (penumbra) region experiences partial solar eclipse. Come March 2034, 18 years ahead, Nigerians are invited to witness another total solar eclipse,” the scientist assures.
