The World Awaits a Partial Solar Eclipse Today - Jordan News
The World Awaits a Partial Solar Eclipse Today Today, the sun will meet the moon, which will partially cover it during a partial solar eclipse visible across parts of the northern hemisphere, from eastern Canada to Siberia. اضافة اعلان The eclipse, which is the 17th in the 21st century and the first of the year, is expected to last for about four hours. The phenomenon will begin at 8:50 AM UTC and end around 12:43 PM. Florent Deleflie, an astronomer at the Paris-PSL Observatory responsible for calculating the astronomical calendar in France, told AFP that "the first to witness the phenomenon will be residents of Mauritania and Morocco, and the last to see it will be those in northern Siberia." The partial eclipse will also be visible in Europe, according to the Time and Space Laboratory at the Paris Observatory. It will peak at 10:47 AM UTC over northeastern Canada and Greenland. This location will offer the most impressive view of the eclipse, as 90% of the sun's disk will be covered. However, this will not be enough to darken the sky entirely. A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth align. When the alignment is nearly perfect, the moon's shadow cone touches the Earth's surface, completely obscuring the solar disk, resulting in a total eclipse. This time, "the alignment was not perfect enough for the shadow cone to touch the Earth's surface. It will remain in space, meaning no total eclipse will occur anywhere at any time," explains Deleflie. Eye Danger In France, the eclipse will be visible between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM UTC, with between 10% and 30% of the sun's disk being obscured, depending on the region. Thus, there will be no noticeable change to the naked eye. However, if the sky is clear, it will still be possible to enjoy the celestial phenomenon as long as proper eye protection is used. Powerful sunlight can cause burns to the eyes and lead to permanent damage. It is crucial to use special eclipse glasses and ensure they are in excellent condition. The astronomer warns, "The slightest defect in the surface of the glasses, even if it's a microscopic hole, can cause eye burns." This solar eclipse follows two weeks after a total lunar eclipse that caused the moon to appear "red." Deleflie confirms that this is "common" as the moon "has completed half its cycle around the Earth, reversing the usual situation." The last partial solar eclipse in mainland France occurred on October 25, 2022. On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will take place, but its path will not cross France. However, it will cause 92% of the sun's disk to be obscured in Paris and 96% in Marseille.
— AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ammon
9 hours ago
- Ammon
King Tut gold mask to leave Cairo museum after nearly 100 years
Ammon News - After nearly a century in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, King Tutankhamun's iconic gold mask and remaining treasures are set to move to the new Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids. Visitors have just days left to see the boy king's world-famous gold funerary mask before it joins more than 5,000 artefacts from his tomb at the GEM, a $1-billion megaproject opening on July 3. "Only 26 objects from the Tutankhamun collection, including the golden mask and two coffins, remain here in Tahrir," said museum director Ali Abdel Halim. "All are set to be moved soon," he told AFP, without confirming a specific date for the transfer. The government has yet to officially announce when or how the last artefacts will be relocated. Still on display are the innermost gold coffin, a gilded coffin, a gold dagger, cosmetic box, miniature coffins, royal diadem and pectorals. Tutankhamun's treasures, registered at the Egyptian Museum on Cairo's Tahrir square in 1934, have long been its crown jewels. But the neoclassical building with faded cases, no climate control and ageing infrastructure now contrasts with the high-tech GEM. Once open, the GEM is believed to be the largest in the world devoted to a single civilisation, housing more than 100,000 artefacts with over half on public display. In a dedicated wing, most of King Tut's treasures will be exhibited together for the first time in history since British archeologist Howard Carter discovered the young pharaoh's intact tomb in 1922. AFP
Ammon
02-06-2025
- Ammon
Archaeologists unearth ancient bread that survived underground for 5,000 years
Ammon News - Archaeologists recently unveiled a rare culinary find: a well-preserved loaf of ancient bread. The artifact was found during an archaeological excavation at the Kulluoba site in the Eskisehir province, located in central Turkey. Excavators unearthed the loaf in Sept. 2024, but it wasn't unveiled to the public until this month. The bread is roughly 5,000 years old and was baked during Turkey's Bronze Age. Researchers say the bread was burnt and buried under the entrance of a dwelling dating back to 3,300 B.C. Some of the bread, which measures about 5 inches in diameter, was torn off before it was buried. An image of the loaf shows that it's blackened and crumbled with age — but it still retains the shape of bread. Murat Türkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that ancient bread is a "rare find," per Turkish Minute, a local outlet. "Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs," he said.
Ammon
21-05-2025
- Ammon
Mystery as bright beam of light streaks through the skies over the US
Ammon News - Stargazers across the US have been baffled by a mysterious beam of light streaking through the sky. Around midnight on Saturday, May 17, a glowing streak was visible above the US as far south as New Mexico. With the aurora active after a surprise geomagnetic storm, many people initially thought the streak was STEVE - a white-mauve light emitted by rivers of charged particles. However, astronomers have now revealed the true explanation for this bizarre phenomenon. According to Dr Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer who tracks objects in space, the light was caused by a rocket dumping fuel. Just an hour or so before the light became visible, Chinese startup LandSpace Technology launched a methane and oxygen-fuelled Zhuque-2E Y2 rocket. Dr McDowell says the most likely source of the light was this rocket's second stage, releasing its 'Methalox' rocket fuel at about 155 miles (250km) above the ground. Once released into space, the chemicals in the fuel react with plasma in the Earth's ionosphere to create an eerie whitish glow, just like the one seen above the US. As the glowing streak appeared in the sky, many astronomers' first thought was that they were witnessing a rare space weather phenomenon called STEVE. Over the night of May 17, the Earth was experiencing a moderate (G2 class) geomagnetic storm after being hit by material from a solar eruption. The enormous 'bird wing' eruption had originally been predicted to miss Earth, but the wave of material was wider than expected, and the planet was hit with a glancing blow. Although STEVE is not part of the aurora, it is also caused by space weather and appears like a glowing river of whitish-mauve light in the sky. In a post on X, photographer Tyler Schlitt captured the event, writing: 'Just saw STEVE with my friends here in Southern Kansas is 45 minutes north of Greensburg!' However, it soon became apparent that this was no natural phenomenon. Writing on X, Dr McDowell said: 'TLEs confirm the Zhuque-2 upper stage passed over the US Four Corners area at 0525 UTC May 17 and is the source of the unusual luminous cloud seen by many observers.' The Zhuque-2 rocket was launched by LandSpace Technology from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area in northwest China at 04:21 UTC. Daily Mail
