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SODAP - SOBOMEX
SKY & SPACE DEPARTMENT
Manufacturer of Eclipse Glasses
3, Rue des Frères Lumière - B.P. 18095
67038 STRASBOURG CEDEX - FRANCE
Phone:  +33 (0) 390 207 850
Fax:       +33 (0) 390 207 855
E-mail: info@eclipse-glasses.com

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THE AREA PASSED


GENERAL MAP OF THE ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF JANUARY 26 TH , 2009
General map of the annular eclipse of january 26th 2009
General map of the annular eclipse of january 26th 2009
This solar eclipse is the SEVENTH ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE SUN of the XXIth century.

It will be visible in partial form on three continents:
– south of AFRICA – SOUTH and SOUTHEAST of ASIA and in OCEANIA.

Its central band will be visible in ANNULAR ECLIPSE form only on the Territory of COCOS (Keeling) islands, in INDONESIA (on the island of Sumatra, the island of Borneo and on the north of the island of Celebes) and in MALAYSIA (on the island of Borneo at the extreme south of the State of Sarawak).

This ANNULAR ECLIPSE will be visible in partial form in SOUTHERN AFRICA, in MADAGASCAR, on the REUNION island, on MAURITIUS, in SOUTH ASIA, in SOUTHEAST ASIA and in OCEANIA.


The Annular eclipses, because of their rarity and the show which they give us, are all the more fascinating to observe.
But it is therefore all the more important to protect one's EYES, during all the various phases of an annular eclipse. (See chapter PROTECT YOUR EYES)



THE COURSE OF THE PHENOMENON


ANNULAR ECLIPSE: THE STARS OF THE SHOW
THE SUN
THE SUN
THE MOON
THE MOON
THE EARTH
THE EARTH
Click on pictures for information.

We have a SOLAR ECLIPSE when the EARTH passes in the cone of umbra or the cone of penumbra of the MOON. The SUN, the MOON and the EARTH are then practically aligned and this when the new MOON approaches. Therefore SOLAR ECLIPSES occur on the new MOON.

The disc of the MOON being an insufficient diameter to hide the SUN entirely (conversely to a total eclipse), there remains a slim ring of the SUN around the black disc of the MOON.
Indeed, according to the distance of the MOON in comparison with us, this ring will be more or less fine.
In this case there is an ANNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

It remains however an unusual show across our safety glasses "SPECIAL ECLIPSE" you will see a big black disc at the time of the ANNULAR PHASE - the MOON - passing in front of the SUN.

The conical umbra is accompanied by a penumbra zone where a part of the SUN remains visible. The ECLIPSE is PARTIAL in this zone.
If the EARTH passes only in the cone of penumbra of the MOON we have a PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

THE PHENOMENON

On the other side of the MOON in relation to the SUN, two zones can be distinguished:
• An UMBRA ZONE in which it is almost completely dark, because a big party of the surface of the SUN is hidden: the ECLIPSE is ANNULAR.
  This zone is in the form of a tapering cone and it is the tip of this cone that will sweep across land.

• A PENUMBRA ZONE where part of the SUN remains visible and where the ECLIPSE is only PARTIAL.
  The rest of the country will be in this area.

The CORONA , this   luminous outer atmosphere around the MOON , can only be observed when the entire lunar disc partially covers the SUN .
This is why ANNULAR ECLIPSES  OF THE SUN are rare and much sought-after phenomena.

Just before the ANNULAR ECLIPSE, the luminous atmospheric ring around the SUN breaks into spots of light. This effect is caused by the final specks of sunlight shining through gaps between the lunar mountains.
Almost all the luminosity of the photosphere has disappeared and the corona shines like a pearly white ring, sometimes in an irregular shape, around the SUN.

The ANNULAR ECLIPSE has now begun. The entire horizon may take on an orange or claret colour, similar to the colour of the sky after a sunset.
Stars and bright planets may be visible during an ANNULAR ECLIPSE.
The sun's corona may now be clearly visible. When the SUN is at the height of its activity the corona can appear as a broad ring.

The sky darkens considerably and plants and animals react to the increase in darkness. Some flowers may close. Animals may behave as they do when night falls.
As the light fades more rapidly, the surroundings may start to look metallic-grey and shadows become better defined.
The temperature can also fall by several degrees.

The ANNULAR ECLIPSE has now begun. The entire horizon may take on an orange or claret colour, similar to the colour of the sky after a sunset.
Stars and bright planets may be visible during an ANNULAR ECLIPSE.
The sun's corona may now be clearly visible. When the SUN is at the height of its activity the corona can appear as a broad ring.

The sky darkens considerably and plants and animals react to the increase in darkness. Some flowers may close. Animals may behave as they do when night falls.
As the light fades more rapidly, the surroundings may start to look metallic-grey and shadows become better defined.
The temperature can also fall by several degrees.


ANIMATION OF THE ANNULAR ECLIPSE


ANIMATION OF THE ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE
OF THE 26 JANUARY 2009

THE SUN
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.

The SUN is an ordinary star whose only particularity is its proximity to the Earth. This makes it easier to study than any other star.
The Earth revolves around this star at the rate of one revolution per year.

In order to understand some of the phenomena that can be observed during an eclipse, a brief description of the Sun's structure is necessary. Solar energy is generated by nuclear reactions fed by hydrogen in a very dense core, about the size of Jupiter, in which the temperature reaches 15,000,000°C.

The core is surrounded by a mix of hydrogen and helium. The energy flow coming from the core passes gradually through the Sun's less dense layers before reaching a region called the convection zone, where the flow becomes turbulent.
This region is the source of the solar magnetic field. On top of this layer is the visible surface of the Sun, which is called the photosphere.

The light from the photosphere must then cross the chromosphere, or "coloured sphere," and the corona, to reach the Earth.

THE MOON
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
The MOON is the Earth's natural satelite. The average diameter of the Moon is approximately 3476 km, or a bit more than a quarter of the Earth's diameter, with its volume being of the order of one fiftieth of our plant's volume.

The lunar atmosphere is nearly nonexistent. The Moon revolves around the Earth on an elliptical orbit at an average distance of 381,547 km and at an average speed of 3700 km/h.
It completes this orbit in nearly 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes. A lunar month, or lunation, is the time that the Moon takes to find itself back in the same position with respect to the Sun.
While it is making one entire revolution around the Earth, the Moon revolves once on its own axis.

Since there is no atmosphere to absorb the solar radiation, the temperatures of the lunar surface reach extreme values: they go from a maximum of +127°C (Sun at the zenith) to a minimum of -173°C (Lunar night) during one lunation.

The surface of the Moon is made up of craters, mountain chains with rounded peaks, lunar "seas", faults, and crevasses.
The highest peaks, located near the lunar south pole, reach an altitude of 8200 metres.

THE EARTH
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
The EARTH is a planet in the solar system. It is the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest planet.

The Earth is the only planet on which life forms are found.
The average distance of the Earth from the Sun is approximately 149.6 million km. The Earth and its natural satellite, the Moon, move along an elliptical orbit around the Sun.
One year corresponds to the time the Earth takes to make one complete revolution around the Sun, or approximately 365 days.
The Earth revolves on its own axis of rotation in one day, or 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds. A point on the equator moves at a speed slightly greater than 1600 km/h. The Earth is not a perfect sphere: its diameter at the equator is approximately 12,756 km.

The Earth is surrounded by the atmosphere, a gaseous layer that is 1100 km thick. The Earth's relief is irregular: nearly 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, in the form of oceans, inland seas, lakes, rivers, and sub-surface water.
The oceans have an average depth of 3794 m and the highest continental landforms exceed 8000 metres, with the surface of the oceans representing the zero level.

The Earth is composed of concentric layers with different chemical compositions: the crust or shell, which is solid, extends from the zero level to 980 km deep; underneath, the mantle extends to 2900 km in depth, and under the mantle is the core, at the centre of the Earth.
The age of the Earth is estimated at 4.5 billion years.